Tears of the Wolf
by realmenglitter
Summary: Sometimes there are problems that you simply have to run from. That's how I met Seth Clearwater, a guy who had the ability to take a heart that I wasn't sure was even there. And that's how my world began falling in all around me. Full Summary inside.
1. Welcome To Forks

**A/N Okay. . .so I know I've really neglected Loving Eyes Never See. Quite honestly, I am not really into it anymore. I'll get my groove back soon, and I promise I won't leave it unfinished, but I write for me and if I have to force myself to write something it comes out. . .horrible. So. I've had the idea for a Seth imprint story for about a year now. It wasn't until recently that I got the jolt I needed to actually write and post it. I can't say when I'll update or how often I'll update, but I do have the next chapter written. Besides, I'll be stuck in Utah for another two weeks so this story may get a lot of attention. **

**By the way, the character Maya. I spell her name like that and many say it's wrong. I guess most people would spell it Mya, but I like it this way. Oh! And expect a lot of unexpected twists for little Sethie. **

**DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately, I do not own Twilight. If I did, Renesme wouldn't exist, Seth would have an imprint, and Jacob would actually have a middle name. I do own Maya, though. And I take great pride in that. **

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**Three years after breaking dawn. I figure Seth is 16 there, so now he's 18 turning 19. Just graduated from highschool. Aww! Leetle Sethie! **

**Maya POV**

They say that running away from your problems does nothing but make everything worse, and most of the time I would agree. Most of the time. But sometimes there are problems that you simply have to be run from. Problems that couldn't even be considered solvable. Problems that make running seem like a pretty good idea. Problems that no one else should ever know about. And that's how I ended up in Forks. That's how I met Seth Clearwater, a guy who had the ability to take a heart that I wasn't sure was even there. And that's how my world began falling in all around me.

"Excuse me," I said politely. The man behind the counter looked up at me with a bored expression on his face. Apparently the gas station was not an interesting place to work. "Do you think you could tell me where this is?" I handed the crumpled piece of paper over to the man. It had many creases and rips in it from being folded and unfolded so many times. I had hung on to that piece of paper for the last three weeks as if it was the only thing that was keeping me alive.

The man studied it for a second before handing it back to me. "It isn't too far from here- right on the beach, actually." His deep brown eyes did a once over on me. Apparently it was really obvious I wasn't from around here. "I'm not quite sure if you'd be able to find it by yourself, though. Let me get Stacey to show you where it's at." The man turned around and hollered, "Stacey! I need you to come do me a favor." It was only a matter of seconds before a girl about my age emerged from somewhere in the back.

The first thing I noticed about the girl was how pretty she was. She had the common dark black hair and wide brown eyes that I had seen so many times today in La Push. But there was a light about her, something that just oozed happiness, that made her seem like the most beautiful person I had ever seen. She certainly did not belong here in this rainy town of Washington. She belonged on the cover of a magazine or something. I knew most of the girls in my school back home would be jealous of her.

Stacey turned to her dad and gave him a questioning look.

"Could you take…" he trailed off when he realized he didn't know my name.

"Maya," I said quickly.

"Could you take Maya to the old house next to the beach? The one that you love so much?"

Stacey's eyes lit up. "The character house? Sure! I'd be glad to!"

I wanted to ask what she meant by that, but I had a feeling that she would have no problem telling me all about it once we got there. Stacey didn't strike me as someone who liked the quiet.

"Thanks," I said to the man behind the counter. He nodded and turned his attention towards a slightly wrinkled newspaper.

"Let's just go outside. Follow me- I know the way by heart. I'll be in the red truck."

I nodded and went outside the store while Stacey grabbed a jacket and a set of keys. I headed over to my silver car and admired it for a moment before getting in. Even here in the small, rainy Washington state it seemed to shine. It was a Volvo and had been my dad's. The car held a lot of memories and, at the moment, a lot of stuff. I hadn't brought all of my belongings for there simply wasn't enough room and need for most of it. I brought the bare essentials and a few miscellaneous things. They were packed in the trunk and backseat as tightly as I had been able to manage during my quick get away. There were a few things back home that I wished had been able to make it like my bedside table and the small lamp on my desk, but there was simply no way to get everything down here all by myself and help had definitely not been an option.

I climbed in the car and removed the hood from my head. As dependable as always, the car started up easily. Jake, the pure black German Shepherd I had gotten as a graduation present, licked my hand as if to ask where I had been. I gave him a scratch behind the ear and cracked the passenger side window for him. He enjoyed the rain as much as he enjoyed chasing squirrels and being a bed hog.

After flipping on the heater and noting that Stacey hadn't pulled out yet, I dug the crumpled paper out of my pocket once more. I still couldn't believe I had finally made it here. The journey had certainly been a long one and had taken a huge toll on me. Not that I cared. Coming here definitely beat my other option, staying home, which would have hurt a lot more people than leaving did. At least, that's what I kept telling myself. I still wasn't a hundred percent sure. But looking out the windows at the green all around me, I couldn't help but thinking my decision had been right.

The sound of a honking horn brought me out of me thoughts. Stacey was waiting to pull out, right blinker flashing. I put the paper back where it belonged and pulled out behind her.

"Well," Stacey said after putting her hands on her hips. "This is it."

Jake jumped out of the car and took off down the beach to play in the surf. I knew he wouldn't go far. I took a deep breath and looked around. The house was a lot different than I remembered. Of course, I had been ten the last time I had been here. That had been eight years ago. It was quite obvious the house hadn't had much attention since I had left. The brown boards were mostly bare- most of the paint having abandoned its place long ago. The front porch was sagging and a bit dangerous looking, and some of the shutters were missing. I noticed the window on the front door had been cracked along with a few other windows, also. But this was it. This would be my house. No. Not just my house. This would be my hide away. My secret holder. It meant everything right now.

"Thanks for bringing me here," I told Stacey over my shoulder. I attempted a bright smile though it felt odd. I hoped she would just get back to the gas station, but I realized I'd have no such luck when she carefully stepped up on to the front porch.

"It's really no problem," she said with a smile much bigger and more genuine than my own. "I've always loved this house. A lot of people think it's just a dump and should be torn down, but I can't get over how much character it has. It's just so. . ." She trailed off for a moment to find the perfect word to complete what she was trying to convey. "_Memory-holding_," she finally said. "It just seems like this house could write a book if it could talk. You know what I mean?" She ran her hand over one of the chipped banisters and let out a contented sigh as she looked out at the water. The house really was close to the beach. It wasn't a long walk to the water which really made the whole place seem nicer.

I dug a small silver key out of my pocket and followed Stacey's path to the porch.

"So," she rattled on as I put the key back in my pocket. The lock seemed to have been broken for a while now. "Did you buy the place? Or did you know the old man who lived here? People say he haunts this place because someone murdered him."

I let out a small laugh. The very thought of Grandpa H. being mad let alone haunting his old house was completely ridiculous. "I knew him." I pushed open the door and let Stacey walk in ahead of me. "He was my great grandpa."

Stacey cocked her head to the side. "Really?" I'm sorry." Her wide eyes conveyed genuine sympathy for me. "Were you close to him?" She eyed the pocket where my key was. She must've been trying to decide if I had indeed been close to the old man since I had the key to the place. I quickly corrected her thoughts.

"No. Not really. No one in my family really knew him. He got sick about eight years ago, and I got picked to come out here and help take care of him."

I thought back to the summer I had stayed here in La Push. I spent most of the day making bracelets and coloring while Grandpa Heelio napped and occasionally asked for some Kraft mac and cheese. Sometimes I'd go down to the beach and sit, but I didn't like leaving him for long just in case he decided to stay awake for a while. There were a few, rare moments when he would tell me some of the legends of the Quileute tribe, his tribe. I'd pull out a pen and a piece of paper and write it down word for word. Everything he said grabbed my attention. It was so interesting to a young me, and it was what had started my now very important writing hobby.

"Wow," Stacey said. "So he wasn't murdered?"

I laughed once more and shook my head. "No. He just went to sleep one day and never woke up."

She made a grunting noise then turned her attention back to the house. I followed suit and looked around. The inside of the house wasn't much better than its outside. Everything was dusty and rotted. Most of the furniture was ripped up and broken. I wondered how many rowdy teenagers had been in here since the place had been abandoned.

Whereas all I could see was more work for me to do, Stacey was in Character Paradise.

"This place is so amazing!" She plopped down on the ugly, yellow and pink flowered couch. A cloud of dust appeared and settled back down on and all around her.

I quirked an eyebrow at her, mentally questioning her sanity, then tried to come up with an excuse to get her to leave.

"Thanks so much for bringing me out here," was how I began my goodbye speech. "I really should start unpacking so I can get settled before night falls."

Stacey looked around the horri- I mean, _character place,_ then did the same mental stability-checking eyebrow thing I had just done.

"Are you really going to stay here tonight?" she questioned. "This place, as great as it is, could probably use some working on before you stay here."

I shrugged and began walking around the living room. Sure, it wouldn't be the greatest place I had ever stayed, but I was so tired from driving that almost any place would do.

"Really," I argued convincingly. "It's not that bad. I can just get the blankets and pillows out of my car and-" Right at that moment my foot fell through one of the floorboards.

Instead of helping me up like a normal person would have, Stacey simply shrugged as if she knew this was going to happen and prove her point. "My grandparents own a hotel out here. I can get you in at a good rate until this place gets fixed up."

I sighed and, even though I really didn't want to, accepted her offer.

After getting Jake in the car and shutting the house up again, I followed Stacey to her grandparents hotel. The Wolf Creek Inn was a nice little place. It wasn't very big, but of course La Push didn't have much reason to provide a lot of room for tourists. There was a place for me to stay which was all that mattered to me at the moment, and they took pets so Jake could fulfill his duty as the bed hog. My body ached for a warm shower. I drug one of my suitcases to room number five and unlocked the door.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Stacey said from behind me. "I'll pick you up in thirty minutes for dinner."

I gave her a questioning look over my shoulder. "What are you talking about?" I certainly hadn't agreed to any dinner. I just wanted to sleep.

Stacey flipped her dark hair around and shrugged. "I'm going out with this guy Embry tonight. He's bringing his friend Seth. I…" she paused to let a guilty expression cover her delicate face. "I kind of told him I'd bring you tonight."

"What?" I asked. My voice rose a bit higher than necessary. "Why would you tell him that? I'm sorry, but I really can't go."

Stacey crossed her arms over her chest. "Hey, I got you a good deal on this place. Unless you want to pay full price…" she raised an eyebrow.

I took the key from the door and pulled my bag back up over my shoulder. She was good, I'd give her that much. But she didn't realize how much I didn't mind sleeping in my car or in the house.

"Fine." I whistled for Jake who had gone a few feet down the hallway. He was at my side immediately. "I can go back to the house."

Stacey grabbed my arm and gave me one of the most pitiful looks I had ever seen in my life. "Please, Maya. I already told Embry I was going to bring someone, and my friend Becca backed out on me at last minute. It'd really be great if you could just help me out. Please."

I frowned as an internal battle went on. I really just felt like showering and going to bed, but Stacey needed my help. She had, in fact, been nice to me and helped me when I needed it. But on the other hand, the whole point of moving out here was so I didn't know anyone, and so far that plan was failing. If I kept hanging out with Stacey I'd know everyone in town.

"Please," she said again.

I sighed and looked down at Jake who nudged my leg with his knee as if to say, "Go on."

"Alright," I finally said. "I'll go." Stacey was already jumping up and down and doing some kind of weird happy dance. "But I can't guarantee I'll be able to hang out with you anymore." She was too busy going through my bag looking for something for me to wear to even realize I was talking anymore.

This wasn't what I had intended. I came here to be alone, not to make friends. I sighed, patted Jake on the head, and tried to think of a way to get out of this mess.


	2. Newbie

**A/N Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. It really means a lot to get feedback on my stuff, so thank you. Here is the second chapter. I'll probably update either tonight or tomorrow. It all depends on how fast I get the next chapter out. This story will change POVs, but I won't do every chapter in both POVs. I just thought that for the beginning It'd be nice to see on both sides of the fence. I know the whole changing outlooks thing annoys a lot of people, so just tell me your opinion on it. While I do write this story for myself, It's still nice to try and make it a bit of what everyone wants. Thanks again! **

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**Song for this chapter: You're All I Have by Snow Patrol. It just has a nice feel to it. Later on the songs will fit in better with the story. **

**Seth POV**

"What do you think about this one?" Embry asked. He held up another button-down shirt in front of him and did some stupid looking pose with it.

"I think it looks a lot like the one you just tried on except a different color," I mumbled before plopping down on his bed.

Sometimes I hated Embry's luck with girls. He had been on dates for the past eight weekends, and I had been forced to come to his house each weekend and help him pick out an outfit. I didn't see the point, though. Not when he ignored my opinion like I wasn't even there.

"You're such a girl," I muttered. A clothes hanger was flung towards me. I grabbed it right before it hit me in the eye.

"You whine like a twelve year old," he shot back before putting the dark blue shirt on. "What do you think?" he asked. "Should I leave three buttons undone? This _is_ our ninth date, after all."

I rolled my eyes and didn't even respond. Of course he would undo the buttons. He always left the buttons undone. I looked around Embry's little bedroom. It was simple and cozy. This was his 'Man Pad' as he called it. You'd think that after two years of living by himself, he'd quit saying 'We can so have a burping contest, because Mom's not here!' every time he walked in the door.

"Okay," Embry said before flexing his arms. "I think I'm ready."

I jumped up on the bed and cupped my hands around my mouth. "No way! He's finally ready! Can you all believe it?" I did that fake crowd roar thing then jumped away when Embry took a swing at my leg. I hit the ground with a thud then quickly regained my footing.

"Whatever," Embry grumbled. "Let's get going. We have to meet the girls in half an hour."

I froze. Did he just say…?

"Yes," he answered before I could even ask. "You're coming with me. Stacey gathered up a date for you."

I shook my head feverishly. "No. No way. There is absolutely no way I'm going on another one of these blind, double dates with you again."

Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm a pretty optimistic person. Usually I was up for anything, but this was something I knew would end badly. I had done this two other times with Embry before, and both times I had ended up with some annoying, clingy, stalker chick who took weeks to get rid of. I loved helping Embry out, but this was just a no.

"Oh come on!" Embry pleaded. "Just this last time. Besides, Stacey says this girl is really nice. She just got into town today. She bought the old haunted house on the beach. I'm sure she could use someone as peppy as you to welcome her to town." Embry smiled like the best salesman in the world, but he hadn't gotten me yet. His face may have worked with the ladies, but this was dude world. And in dude world, a winning smile didn't convince anyone of anything.

I folded my arms defensively over my broad chest. "Why don't you just take Collin or Brady?" I could barely hide my smile when I said this. I knew exactly why he didn't invite them.

Embry snorted and rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot if you honestly think I'm going to bring either of them along. I like the kids, don't get me wrong, but they're so immature. They completely mess up my game."

It was true. Collin and Brady were barely a year younger than me, and both of them acted like they were twelve most of the time. Collin had the most cheesy pick up lines and Brady was just a plain strike out when it came to women. Both of them were too immature to even be considered attractive to most girls.

"Please," Embry asked again. "Ever since Quil went all baby-sitter on me, I haven't had anyone to do this with me. I promise you this will be the last time I ask. I'll even throw in a free take-the-ugly-chick card for when you need someone to use on a date. Please, Seth."

He had me. What he had said about Quil was true. The two of them used to be the dynamic-duo before the whole werewolf thing happened. But after Quil imprinted, well, things changed. When there wasn't a vampire thing going on and he wasn't at work, Quil spent most of his time watching Claire. He wouldn't even think about looking at a girl nevertheless be Embry's wingman on a date. I knew Embry missed his friend, even if he never would fully admit it. And I, being the caring, sensitive man my parents had taught me to be, had a soft spot for Embry when it came to the fence Claire created between he and Embry.

"Fine," I finally agreed. "I'll go with you." Embry began doing the running man with the biggest, most stupid smile I had ever seen in my young life. That was a big accomplishment considering all the stupid grins I had seen from the guys in the pack. I stuck my foot out and caused him to almost fall. "But you're paying for my meal," I muttered.

My bare chest and cut off sweats attire wasn't going to due for going out to eat, even if we _were_ just going to the old diner in La Push. I grabbed a white T-shirt of Embry's and threw a tuxedo jacket over it. It wasn't if I had much choice, and there was no way I was going to get a button down shirt like Embry's so we went in there looking like twins. I ran a hand through my short hair, pulled on a pair of torn up jeans, then slipped on my tennis shoes.

"Are we taking your truck?" I asked Embry when we got out the door.

"Duh," he said before locking up his man pad. "We can't run there. It'd totally freak them out when we said bye and began walking down the road. Besides, Stacey totally loves my truck." He turned and smiled at his jet-black F350. It had been a going away present from the Cullens when they had to leave Forks.

Pretty much every werewolf who had been out there when the stuck up rule enforcing crowd had shown up received something. Everyone tried to refuse, but Edward and Bella, and the rest of the Cullens, insisted that we take it. They thought it was only a small price to pay for our loyalty and protection. Besides, Alice had had a ball shopping for everything and it wasn't like they were going to run out of money any time soon. A lot of the pack got things like motorcycles and trucks and a lifetime of jeans and tennis shoes. But I got a guarantee to any college I wanted to go to not to mention the right to ask for whatever I could ever need in life. It wasn't what I really wanted, though. What I wanted was for the Cullens and Jacob to stay. They were all like family, and it was tough to stay behind in La Push while they started over somewhere else. But they couldn't stay any longer and I couldn't leave. Not yet, anyway. I had decided to spend at least one more summer here in the old rainy place until I figured out where it was in life I needed to go.

"Yo! Seth!" Embry yelled. He waved a large, oversized hand in my face. "Get your head out of your rear and let's go."

I slapped his hand out of my face and went down the steps of the deck. "Rear?" I asked. Embry didn't have the filthiest mouth I had ever heard, but I had never heard him say words like 'rear'.

I could practically hear his eyes rolling when he said. "Shut it, Clearwater. I've had to clean up my language because whenever I go see Quil at Claire's place he about has a heart attack when I use _dirty language._" I turned to see him using air quotes. "I had to listen to a half hour speech about how sensitive her ears are and how this is the time in life when she learns to repeat what others say. So, yeah, I said rear."

I opened the door of the truck and let an easy laugh escape my lips. "Easy there, Embry. I was just asking."

When he got in I said, "Though I would like to hear how the name 'Uncle Em Em' came about."

I didn't try to stop him when Embry punched me in the shoulder.

Embry stopped me just before we went into the door of the diner. He put his hands on my shoulders and looked me square in the eye.

"Alright, Seth. You've got this. I don't care what you do as long as you don't use any of those pick up lines Collin tried to teach you. Though if I were you I'd use that sensitive optimist thing you do. Chicks seem to love that junk for some reason."

I rolled my eyes and shrug out from under his hands. "I don't need any talking up, Embry. This is your date. I'm just here to fill in the awkward silences and steer Stacey away from asking about your past girlfriends. Let's just get this over with."

Embry nodded, put on his ladies man smile, and walked through the door. I followed in behind him and did my best to resist the urge to trip him.

"Where are they?" Embry asked.

I looked around the room for Stacey's dark hair. It wasn't long before I heard her calling Embry's name. I turned my head to the right and spotted her at a booth in the corner.

But it wasn't Stacey I was looking at.

It was…_her._

I froze. And so did the world. There she sat with long, gorgeous brown hair flowing down her back and wide, sparkling blue eyes. The reason for my existence. She was giving a small smile and listening, half heartedly it seemed, as Stacey whispered about how good she thought Embry looked. I didn't want to look away. And why should I? She was everything I would ever need to see. Forget the Grand Canyon and The Great Wall Of China. This girl would be enough to look at for forever and a day. My heart jumped in ways it never had before. Girls didn't really make me nervous. But this girl, the most amazing girl in the world, had my stomach twisted into a multitude of knots.

"Hey," Embry said under his breath. My eyebrows furrowed when he broke my moment of awe. "That girl is pretty hot! Maybe if things don't work out with Stacey. . ." he trailed off and chuckled.

I quickly spun on my heels so I was facing him. My brows furrowed and my hands balled up into fists. "Don't talk about her like that," I practically growled.

Embry cocked his head to the side and gave me a puzzled look. "Dude. What's your pr-" He stopped in mid sentence after studying my face for a second. Puzzlement, understanding, and finally disbelief flashed across his features.

"You've got to be joking!" he yelled.

A few people, including my angel, looked up at us. My heart melted when my eyes met hers.

Embry began shoving me towards the hallway where the bathrooms were. I gave the girl a small smile then gave in to Embry's shoves.

When he had me alone against a wall he laughed once then gave me a goofy grin.

"I can not believe you, man," he muttered. "You _imprinted_ on her?"

I shrugged my shoulders and nodded my head. I couldn't comprehend why he was finding this so hard to believe. To me, it seemed like the only right, just thing that had ever happened in the world.

"Well," Embry finally said. He stretched his arms out and yawned a bit. "At least she's not three."

I wasn't listening. I was already on my way back out to her. I needed to be near her. Embry shuffled up beside me and struggled to put his winning smile back on.

"Embry!" Stacey squealed before launching her tiny frame into his wide wingspan. He gave her a quick hug then a chaste kiss on the lips.

I stood there like a doofus as Stacey and Embry waited for me to introduce myself to the girl who was beginning to stand up. My eyes assessed her outfit. She was in a yellow. . .what is it? Baby doll top? And dark jeans. She was dressed simply and comfortable. I had never seen anyone more gorgeous.

"This is Seth Clearwater," Stacey finally said to the girl.

She held out a small, white hand towards me and offered a toothy smile. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Maya."

_Maya._ The name repeated itself over and over again in my head. I had never heard anything more beautiful.

Embry cleared his throat meaningfully and reminded me that I was leaving Maya's hand out in the empty. I quickly grabbed it, careful not to squeeze it too hard, and smiled back.

"Seth. Seth Clearwater," were the only words that my lips could manage to form.

"Alright," Stacey said, drawing out the word and making me feel a bit awkward. "I'm sure she's gotten your name by now. How about we sit down? I'm starving." She eyed my hand which was still pumping Maya's up and down.

I quickly released my grasp. "Sorry about that." _Idiot_.

Maya laughed easily and slid into the booth. "No problem."

I sat down beside her carefully. Embry scooted in opposite of me then let Stacey get in. I don't know why they even bothered sitting down separately. It was only a matter of seconds before Stacey was practically in Embry's lap. Not that he minded, of course. He put one arm around her and let his fingers brush up and down her arm idly. He used his other hand to hold up the menu which was pointless, also. We had eaten here so many times the menu could be repeated while sleeping.

I turned my head ever so slightly so I could look at Maya. She had her hands in her lap, the menu flat across the table in front of her. Her head was bowed while her light blue eyes scanned through her options. I could see the slight hint of a scowl trying to form on her perfect lips like maybe she didn't feel well or wasn't very hungry.

She suddenly looked up at me and caught me staring. When she smiled instead of looking freaked out, I decided not to pretend I wasn't looking at her.

She brushed a strand of hair out of her face and cocked her head to the side.

"So," she said with a sigh. "What's good here?"

I gave her a crooked grin. "The real question is, what isn't good here? I usually get the steak, but they have really good chicken and salads. But there is one thing you have to try."

"And what's that?"

I shook my head. "I can't tell you. It's a surprise. But today isn't the right time for it. You have to have it at the exact right moment."

Maya laughed then turned back to her menu. Was she laughing at me? Was it a good thing? Since when did I care if people laughed at me? And why was Embry kicking me under the table?

I looked over at Embry to see him wiggling his thick eyebrows at me. I rolled my eyes and tried not to stare too much for the rest of dinner.

"What's the game plan?" Embry asked me. He kicked off his shoes, almost knocking over a lamp in the process, then stretched out on my couch. He reached over with one of his long arms, grabbed the football that sat on my coffee table, then began throwing it up in the air then grabbing it right before it hit him. Throw. Catch. Throw. Catch.

I settled in my recliner after grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. The dinner had gone fantastic. I refused to call it a date because I had decided that the first date Maya and I would go on would be a nice one, one for her to remember forever. Dinner at the diner with Embry and Stacey stopping to make out every ten minutes wasn't what I was shooting for. Maya was, well, amazing to say the least. She wasn't a very talkative person but not necessarily shy, either. She sat back and listened most of the time but added in her two sense when she felt like it. I tried a few times to start up a conversation that could maybe let me get to know her a bit better, but each time she changed the subject like she was afraid I actually would get to know her. It confused me but certainly didn't deter me. I was determined to get close to her, to be what she needed in life, but I knew it would take time.

"I don't know," I finally answered. I had been on a few dates in high school, had a 'girlfriend' or two, but nothing serious or meaningful. I was a newbie when it came to the world of women, and I had no idea what I was supposed to do.

"I could give you some pointers," he suggested. He threw the football towards the small basketball goal that hung on the wall. It went in and stuck sideways in the net. "I do have a little bit of experience with the ladies."

I shot him a 'seriously, Embry?' look then shook my head. How was I supposed to explain this to him? "It's…not the same. She isn't just any girl. I really don't think you can give me any pointers on this one."

"Fine," he grumbled. Obviously he had really wanted to share his cupid knowledge with me. "Go call Jake or Paul or something. They're in on the imprint thing."

It was silent for a moment as I considered doing just that. Paul and Jacob would both know what I was feeling seeing as they both had imprints. But this didn't seem like the type of situation they could really give me any help on. Maya was a Nessie. She was…different. And very confusing from what I had experienced.

"I guess I'll just…hang out with her," I finally said.

Embry snorted. "Hang out with her. Right. What is this, the Disney Channel? Hanging out with a girl will get you nowhere. You have to woo her." He stood up on my couch and showed off another one of his smiles. "You have to impress her." He jumped from my couch, did some weird tuck and roll thing, then lunged for the football which he spun on his finger. "And finally, you have to kiss her." He puckered his lips and made some really disgusting noises.

I picked up his shoes and chucked them at him at a speed that could easily knock a normal person out. Embry used his wolfy powers and easily caught both potentially dangerous objects without even looking up from the football that was still spinning on his finger.

"Get out of my house, Call." It was getting late, and I needed some shut eye. I was supposed to get up early in the morning and go over to Mom's for breakfast.

Embry laughed then let the ball drop to the floor. He stepped into his shoes without bothering to tie the laces. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and jingled them noisily.

"When you need some real advice come see the Love Hero." He paused then looked around. "That's me, by the way."

I shoved his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm sure everyone calls you that in the streets."

He sneered at me then headed over to the front door. "Should I spread the good news or what?"

I shrugged. "Like it matters. The second you phase everyone will know everything." Even though my thoughts were still safe from everyone since I was still in Jacob's pack, Embry's were not. Not that I really cared, though. I'd probably get to tell my mom and Jake and Edward. That was all that really mattered.

"You have a point there, Clearwater." He put his hand on the door handle then paused. "When you talk to Jake and the Cullens, tell 'em hey for me, will 'ya?"

"Sure thing." It was pretty obvious that everyone in the pack had a small soft spot for the Cullens. Not only had they been very gracious to Jacob, but they were good people. Alright, good vampires. But either way, everyone appreciated it. Even Leah didn't mind them that much anymore and she was the worst of anyone.

"See you later, Sethie Wethie," he teased.

"Bye, Uncle Em Em."

Embry stuck his tongue out like a toddler before going out the door and jumping into his truck.

"Maybe he should be the one hanging out with Claire," I muttered before heading down the hallway to brush my teeth.

The way the truck squalled going down the road told me he had heard me. Good.

**A/N So, what do you think? I'm positive none of you will guess what is coming. I'm excited to see how everyone will react. Leave some feedback if you've got time. And if not, just continue reading. Everything is worth it to me just knowing that one person in the world smiled because of something I wrote. Have a great day! **


	3. I'll Write My Number On Your Hand

**A/N Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! Honestly, this chapter really isn't too actiony, but things will speed up here shortly. **

**Song for this chapter: Relentless by Jason Aldean. Like I said, songs will start fitting in better later.**

**Maya POV**

"Ah!" I shrieked. I jumped out of the shower as quickly and gracefully as I could. Too bad I wasn't graceful. I got tangled up in the shower curtain and ended up spread out on the floor. "Stupid cold water," I grumbled before picking myself up. I grabbed a towel from under the sink and wrapped it around me. A scratching began at the bathroom door along with a few muffled whines from Jake.

"I'm fine," I said. I opened the door and Jake busted in. He quickly looked around the room for any sign of danger then looked up at me as if to ask why I had panicked him. Jake had been protective over me since the day I had gotten him. He was a good dog, and I was glad I had been able to bring him with me.

I went through the bathroom and into the little room I was staying in. Apparently I had been in the shower a little bit too long. The hot water had run out, and there was no way I was going to stay in that cold shower. I dried off a bit then slipped on the nightclothes I had laid out on the bed. To say I was tired would be an understatement of epic proportions. All of the driving plus staying up for dinner had really worn me out. And it wasn't just my body that was tired. It was my heart, too.

Saying goodbye to my family had been one of the hardest things I had ever had to do. It had been over a week ago, but I hadn't really had time to stop and think about everything. But now, all alone at midnight in a small hotel room in a place called La Push, all I could do was think about it.

Saying goodbye was something that had had to be done in an indirect way. Since the whole point of leaving was so that no one knew where I was, I couldn't exactly tell anyone I was going. One Friday night a few weeks ago I had arranged a nice dinner at my parents house for the whole family. I spent the whole day cooking with my mom just like I had when I was younger. Every once and a while tears would well up in my eyes, and I had to blame it on the onions I was chopping when she asked what was wrong. It wasn't fair that I had to do this. It wasn't an easy decision I had made. But it had to be done. There simply was no other choice, not really. Staying. I could've decided on that if I had really wanted. But it would've just made things a hundred times worse, and I couldn't do that to my family.

At dinner that night I had stood from my chair with shaky knees and said I had something to say. Multiple sets of curious eyes flashed to my face. I almost lost it right then and there. Luckily the table was there for me to hold on to so I could keep my balance.

"I just wanted to tell everyone that…" I had to stop to swallow a large lump in my throat. "That I love every single one of you. Life is. . .life is hard. It down right stinks sometimes. But you guys have always been there for me, and I just wanted to let you know that whatever happens down the road I could never ask for a better family than what I want." I turned to my mom who had her head cocked to the side in pure puzzlement. "Mom, I'm sorry for that time I snuck out when I was fourteen. I know I about gave you a heart attack that night." A few chuckles were let lose around the table. My focus went to my dad. "Dad, I apologize for not going on that fishing trip with you when I was twelve. I've regretted that for a long time." He simply shrugged as if it was too long ago to even count, but I could feel the tears starting to prickle behind my eyes. They couldn't understand. I had to do this now. This would be my last opportunity to say everything that I could ever want to say. I turned to my older sister. "I'm sorry for stealing your diary in the seventh grade and telling Brian that you thought he was dreamy." Everyone laughed, but no one could comprehend the pure intensity of the situation. I wanted so badly for them to get it, for there to be hugging and tearful goodbye speeches, but that would ruin the whole point of the thing. I was leaving to keep as much pain as possible from my family. And that was exactly why I had to keep them in the dark. Everyone thought my random act of love was some aftershock of graduating high school. If only they knew.

A few weeks later and I was gone. I had packed up the stuff I needed while my parents were at work and left with a simple note.

"I'm leaving town. If I don't call, don't worry and don't come looking for me. I love you."

It wasn't the best or most convincing in the world, but it was all my shaky hands could write the day I left. I had to throw my cell phone out just two towns away. Mom was blowing it up, and I knew I wouldn't be able to resist answering for long.

The movement of the bed brought me out of my thoughts. Jake was lying in the middle, sprawled out as much as he could possibly be. He was right. It was definitely time for some shut eye. I dried my hair quickly, turned out all of the lights, then settled into the creaky bed. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep. I had the weirdest dream that night. Seth Clearwater, the tall guy from the dinner, was asking me all kinds of questions. They were the questions I would never answer in a million years, but for some reason I told the dream him everything about me. Weird. But that was the difference between dreams and reality. There, I was free to tell the secrets that I kept in my heart. In the real world I was forced to suffer through it all alone.

I wasted no time the next day starting in on the house. I unloaded my belongings and put them in one of the back rooms then made a trip to Seattle and loaded up my car with all of the supplies I thought I would need. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. I tried explaining what was going on with the place to one of the store workers, but there really was no way I could describe the level of neglect enough so they could tell me what I needed. I thought maybe I'd start off with something easy like replacing some windows and getting new locks. I had all of the measurements I needed, and I was able to get enough stuff for at least a week's worth of work. I knew I'd need to move fast, though. I didn't have long to work on the place.

I pulled up to the house and let Jake take off down the beach. I then began unloading some windows and basic tools from my car. At first, everything was going well. Replacing windows wasn't so hard, and the locks were just as easy. When I started trying to replace some of the floorboards, though, things got a bit more difficult. I got a hold of one of the nails with my hammer and began pulling. Nothing happened. I pulled harder, making all kinds of weird grunting noises and sticking my tongue out in concentration. Still nothing.

"Oh, come on!" I threw the hammer in frustration.

"Whoa!" someone yelled. After being alone for so many hours, the sudden voice startled me. I jumped back, tripped over my tool bag, and ended flat on my butt. When I looked up, the source of the voice was smirking and holding my hammer.

Seth Clearwater.

"Are you alright?" Seth asked before coming over and holding his hand out to me.

"Your hands are really big!" I exclaimed. I hadn't meant to say it out loud. It had kind of just slipped out. I looked away in embarrassment and stood up on my own.

Seth laughed easily, the way he had done all night. He was a pretty easy going person. He had one of those laughs that was just nice to hear.

"I get that a lot."

I looked around awkwardly, wondering what he was doing here. I hadn't really spoken to him a lot at dinner. He was a nice kid, but meeting Stacey had been enough. I couldn't have anyone else even slightly interested in my life. I figured he'd go play some basketball and forget about the quiet girl on the really awkward double date.

Seth held up the hammer I had thrown earlier. "I believe this belongs to you."

I blushed a bit before taking it from him and offering a small smile. "Yeah. Sorry about that. I didn't know you were standing there."

"I was just going for a jog down on the beach and heard you banging around up here. I thought I'd come see how the old place is coming along."

It was then that I noticed his attire. He was wearing some knee-length basketball shorts and a pair of Nikes. His chest, though, was bare. How I had overlooked this for any amount of time was beyond me. Of course, once I got focused on something I seemed to miss a lot of things. But this? Seth was. . .very well built to say the least. I figured he had to spend at least three days a week working out. Either that or he was really into steroids. But his eyes were too honest for him to be into anything like that.

I realized I was staring and quickly looked away. Desperate for something to keep him from noticing I had been ogling his chest, I gestured to the windows.

"I got those old things replaced. I'm trying to work on some floorboards but no such luck."

Seth looked at the warped board in the floor a moment before reaching for my hammer. "Mind if I give it a try?" He had gently taken the tool from my hands and was on his knees working before I could object. I was about to tell him I could get it, but suddenly the board was up, and I figured a bit of help wouldn't be so bad.

"Where's the replacement board?" he asked. His deep brown eyes, which seemed to sparkle even more than Stacey's did, scanned the room for something to go down where he had just removed the board. He spotted the stack of wood I had bought this morning and looked up at me. "Do you have a table saw to cut that stuff with?"

And then I felt like an idiot. What, had I expected everything to just magically fit in?

"No," I muttered.

Seth shrugged. "I've got one at the house. I can bring it over if you-"

I quickly cut him off and shook my head feverishly. "No, no, no. It's fine- really. I can take care of it. You should, uh, get back to running anyway."

Seth cocked his head to the side as if he were super confused about something. "Well, if you won't let me help you then how about at least accompanying me to lunch. I'd really hate to go by myself." Wow. He had a better pout face than Stacey did. I opened my mouth to say yes then remembered. I couldn't be making any friends here. It defeated the purpose of leaving home in the first place.

"I can't," I said. "I really have to keep working on this place. I don't have much time before. . ." I trailed off. Seth waited patiently for me to finish. "Um. I don't have much time before it starts raining again." It wasn't the real truth, but it wasn't a lie either. It'd be hard to get much done with the rain pouring from the sky.

Seth gave me a real big smile. His white teeth flashed against his tan skin. It was then that it struck me just how handsome he was. I hadn't really noticed it the night before, but then again I had been half asleep anyway. He really was cute, though. He was tall and muscular, much like Embry was, but the stark difference was that Seth was just so. . .happy. He seemed like one of those people who got high on life and always found the bright side of a bad situation. There was something about him that just made me want to be around him. Too bad I couldn't.

"Look, Maya, I know you just got here and this may seem a bit odd of me to offer, but my friends and I could probably get this place up and running in a week. Nine days tops."

I shook my head. Why was he offering, anyway? He didn't know me. I figured he just needed money. "I'm sorry, but I barely have enough to fix the place up myself. I can't afford to hire someone."

"There would be no need to pay any of us. I'd simply like to help you out."

I sighed and thought for a moment. It seemed too good to be true. I'd absolutely love for someone to help me out with this house. At this rate it looked like it was going to take me a month. But the whole situation seemed a little sketchy. Why would a teenage boy want to spend his summer working on an old, musty house for no more pay than the warm feeling of helping out a new girl in town? _Maybe he likes you,_ I thought. But that wasn't any better. If I let him and his friends help me, they'd more than likely start getting close to me, and that would be a very bad situation.

"Thanks for offering," I said with a small smile and a hint of regret. "But this is something that I need to do myself."

"Alright," Seth said with a shrug. "Do you have a pen?"

I went over to my tool bag and pulled a black ink pen out. I handed it over to Seth, and he took one of my hands in one of his large mitts. Wow. His skin was really warm! I kept this thought to myself unlike last time.

Seth scribbled down some numbers in a messy scrawl. "Call when you need some help." He handed me back the pen, went out the door, and jogged down the beach.

"Weird," I mumbled. I looked around the house and tried to think of more ways to make progress. The number on my hand was already taunting me to call it before Seth even got out of sight.

**SPOV**

"I am an idiot!" I yelled out to no one. My plan at trying to get some time with Maya had completely crashed and burned to say the least. Not only had I practically insulted her ability to fix the house up by herself, but I seemed like a complete creeper now. What kind of guy showed up unannounced, shirtless, and asked a girl he had just met the day before to lunch? What had I been thinking?

I sighed and ran up towards the woods. I needed to talk to someone. More accurately, I needed to talk to Emily. She was, after all, an imprintee. I figured maybe she could help me figure out what to do. Talking to Mom wouldn't work. She had flipped when I told her I had imprinted. If I started asking her for advice, she'd get all worked up and excited about nothing. If anything she'd make things worse by tracking Maya down and trying to get her to plan a wedding with her. Yeah, that certainly wouldn't go well.

I set my shoes aside in a hollow tree where I knew I could find them again if I needed them. I was tired of breaking in new shoes every other week, and they were too bulky to attach to my leg. I tied to shorts up so they wouldn't get ripped to shreds. I jumped in the air and was a wolf when I hit the ground. Ah, the sensation of complete control. It was pure bliss compared to the hot, uncomfortable feeling of phasing against my will. Jacob had given me some great training on phasing whenever I needed to. He said I was a natural, almost as good as him, and I appreciated the help.

I really did miss Jacob. How could I not? After Dad had died. . .

I shook my head. This was not a time to bring up old wounds.

It took me a matter of five minutes to get to Emily's. I could smell lunch cooking and, even though I wished I could've gone somewhere with Maya, I was happy I had gotten here for the food. I had suggested she opened up her own place. She certainly was good enough to keep the people of Forks and La Push coming around. She had just laughed and said, "If I open up my own place, how will the pack eat?" She had a point.

After throwing on my shorts I walked through the front door of the little house. Embry, Collin, Brady, and Sam were all sitting around the table eating home made soup and laughing about Sam's nerves involved with the wedding. It was only a few weeks before he and Emily would be finally making things official, and Sam was really weary about the whole thing. Not of getting hitched to Emily, of course, but of standing up in front of so many people. As calm and collected as he was, Sam wasn't really good in front of crowds.

"Congratulations!" Emily squealed before I had even gotten all the way into the door. She hugged me tightly then patted my cheek. "I knew it'd happen for you soon."

"Here's to little Seth getting a girl!" Embry chanted. He held up his soda then chugged the rest of it in a second.

"Yeah." I sat down and got a bowl from the middle of the table. "I don't exactly have a girl yet. Not really, anyway."

"Didn't take my advice, I'm assuming?" Embry questioned.

I rolled my eyes and shoveled a spoonful into my mouth. After swallowing I said, "Actually, Emily, I was hoping you could help me out."

She perked up and put her spoon down. "Me? You want my help?"

Usually everything was handled by Sam and the gang, so Emily was surprised when someone needed her help.

"Yeah. I feel like I'm weirding Maya out, but I can't…I can't help it! She's all I think about anymore. I'm ready to be… to be everything. And I don't even know her middle name." I slumped down in my chair and buried my head in my hands. This was way over my head. Maybe it was the sleepless night I had gotten mixed with the feeling that Maya was going to go get a restraining order against me that was making me feel like this. Usually nothing got to me.

The boys at the table all burst out laughing. I saw nothing funny about the situation. Sam, who knew exactly where I was, quieted them down so Emily could speak.

Emily reached over and laid a comforting hand on my shoulder. "First of all, chill out."

I took deep breaths and remembered that the situation wasn't so bad.

"Second thing, stop worrying so much. You are Seth Clearwater! You've made it through things that most teenagers never even dream of living through. You're optimistic and funny and an amazing guy. Maya is a lucky girl to be your imprintee."

I nodded my head. "Yeah! You're right. Thanks, Em. I totally-" At that moment my cell phone, which I had secured in my shorts, went off. I dug it out, flipped it open, and stuck it to my ear.

"Ello." For a moment all I could hear was water, heavy breathing, and some moving around.

"Hello?" I asked, confused. I was used to getting prank calls from Collin and Brady, but they were both in the room with me. Unless they had really upped their game…

"Seth?" I could recognize that voice anywhere. "That offer really isn't looking too bad right now."

**A/N Some feedback would be absolutely amazing. Just let me know what you honestly think. **

**BY THE WAY: I'M GOING TO NEED A BETA IF I WANT TO KEEP UPDATING THIS QUICKLY. I NEED SOMEONE TO LOOK OVER THE CHAPTERS AND, MORE THAN JUST FIXING MISTAKES, TELL ME HOW THE WHOLE PLOT IS GOING AND IF I NEED TO ADD/REMOVE THINGS FROM A CHAPTER. YES, IF YOU'RE THE BETA, YOU'LL GET TO KNOW ALL OF THE TWISTS. JUST LEAVE IT IN A REVIEW OR PM/EMAIL ME IF YOU'RE INTERESTED. THANK YOU!**

**HAVE A GOOD DAY. **


	4. I'm All Yours

**Sorry it's taken so long for the update. I'm going to say I'll update once a week from now on. I'd like to thank my lovely betas- Going. Going. It's Gone and MayHopeCullen. Things may be going a bit slow right now, but expect big things to happen. Big. Things.**

**If you've reviewed and I haven't replied- thanks so much! I appreciate every review I get.**

**Song for this chapter: I'm Yours- Jason Mraz. **

* * *

**Seth POV**

"Was that your girlfriend?" Collin teased after I closed my cell phone and shoved it back into my pocket.

"She's not my girlfriend," I answered. I shoved my chair back from the table and hurriedly took my dishes to the sink. Apparently Maya was having some trouble at the house. I didn't have all of the details, but she had apparently been trying to fix a leak when the pipes under the sink broke. I should've known something like that would happen. The house had been empty for at least eight years, and no one had ever bothered to spend any time on it. It wasn't surprising that everything was outdated and worn out.

"Are you leaving, Seth?" Emily asked. I forgot sometimes that she didn't have super hearing and all. Everyone else in the room had heard every word of the phone call.

"Yeah," I told her. "Maya needs some help out at the house."

"And we're going with him," Embry said before following me to the door.

"I can handle it."

"What do you know about plumbing?"

I froze with my door on the handle. "Fine. Let's go."

He followed me outside where we climbed into his truck then raced off down the road. I could feel him staring at me with his big eyes. I turned my head towards him.

"What?"

He shrugged and turned his attention back towards the road. It was silent for a moment before he said, "I just think that it's cool you found…_her_. You know? I mean, I see the way you act, Seth. Ever since you graduated you've been kind of in the clouds. I know it's tough on you what with Harry passing away and Jake moving and all. You-"

I quickly cut him off. "Turn here, Embry." Talk about saved by the bell. I didn't want to have this discussion. Not now. Not ever.

Embry sighed but didn't bring it up again. We reached the old beach house in a matter of minutes, and I was out of the truck before it was ever put in park. I could hear water spewing as I ran up to the porch and through the door. When I entered the kitchen I was glad Embry had come with me.

To say it was a mess would be an understatement of epic proportions. By the amount of water in the floor I had to guess the pipes had broken right after I had left which had been almost an hour ago. I could see Maya's feet sticking out from under the sink.

"Seth?" she called over the hissing of the water. "Is that you?"

I rushed to her side and stuck my head under the sink. "Here, let me help you."

She had her tiny hands wrapped around the pipes to keep them from completely falling apart. I pushed her hands out of the way and held the pipes myself.

"I'm going to the water meter to shut off the water!" Embry called.

I continued holding onto the pipes while Maya watched me with gratitude written all over her face. It was only a matter of seconds before the water stopped completely. Maya crawled out from under the sink then stood to look at the mess.

"I didn't want to let go completely," she explained. "I wasn't sure how much more water would come out, and I didn't know where to shut it off." She sighed and shook her head.

"I'm guessing this whole fixing thing isn't as easy as you though it'd be," I said with a laugh. By the worn out look on her face I knew she was getting really frustrated. I tried my best to lighten the mood. "You got a mop around this place? Or a giant sponge or something?"

She gave me a small smile. "Thanks so much for coming and helping." She leaned around and waved at Embry. "You too. I'll take care of the clean up. It's no big deal." She paused to fix her ponytail. The wet hair had fallen out and was sticking to her face. "I'm sorry I had to bother you. Stacey didn't answer and I didn't have anyone else to call."

I shrugged and propped up against the counter. "It's really no problem. We weren't doing anything."

"I was in the middle of a great lunch, thank you," Embry said.

I shot him a look then turned back towards Maya. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that you're going to need some help fixing this place up."

Maya looked at me wearily before answering. Her gaze stayed on my face, but she never did look me directly in the eyes. "I can do it. It's probably going to take a whole lot more time than I first expected, but it should be all right."

At that moment a loud bark filled the air. I looked in the doorway of the kitchen to see a huge black dog staring at Embry and I curiously.

"Jake," Maya said to the dog. "Go lay down."

The dog ran his eyes one more time over Embry and I before heading towards the living room.

"His name is Jake?" Embry questioned with a smug smile.

Maya nodded.

"Ha! He'll love to hear that," Embry muttered.

There was a long moment of silence as Maya waited for us to leave, Embry squeaked his shoes across the floor, and I tried to figure out how I could convince her to let us help her. I hardly knew her, but I got the impression that Maya was a very independent person. While I admired her determination, I didn't like the idea of her spending all of her time alone at the house when she didn't really know what she was doing. I thought hard for a moment, and then it hit me.

"Embry spent a summer fixing up houses," I blurted out.

The squeaking of Embry's shoes stopped and Maya turned her attention back to me.

Embry looked at me curiously for a moment but went along with it anyway. "Yep," he said. "Quil and I were saving up for a car."

I looked down at Maya who was now shivering from the cold, rainy air coming in contact with her wet clothes. Resisting the urge to wrap my arms around her, I continued. "Embry knows everything there is about this kind of stuff. I have a group of friends who have absolutely nothing to do this summer, and they'd love to help. I think you should let us help you out with this." I hoped I didn't sound too weird. This was a last ditch effort to help out with the house. It was either Maya let us help, or I'd show up and fix things while talking to her.

Maya quickly shook her head. Stubborn. "I don't have enough money to pay for the work."

"We'll work for volunteer hours for college."

"I'm not sure where to start."

"Embry will know."

"I don't have all of the tools I need."

"My friend Sam does."

She gave me a hard look and put her hands on her hips. She was feisty, I'd give her that. But I had an older sister who went through a couple years of hating my guts. I could argue with the best of 'em.

Maya looked around the room, and I could see the acceptance in her blue eyes. She knew that with our help she would get the house finished twenty times faster than she would by herself.

"Fine," she muttered. "I'll let you guys help. But only on one condition."

I smiled. "Anything."

"I'm making you guys lunch. Everyday that you help. I can make a mean sandwich."

I laughed and held out my hand. "Deal."

She took my hand, causing my stomach to do that weird twisty thing, and shook it.

"If we're going to do this, I'm going to have to make a list," Embry said. "Do you have any paper, Imprint?" he asked Maya.

I cringed and palmed myself in the forehead. Embry really needed to learn how to think before he spoke.

"Imprint?" Maya questioned.

Looking for a way to change the subject I gestured outside. "I'm sure there's some paper in the truck," I said. "Maybe you should go change into some dry clothes."

Maya nodded, forgetting about the imprint thing, and went towards one of the bedrooms. I went outside and Embry followed.

"_Imprint_," I hissed when we reached the truck. "Real smooth, Embry. Real smooth." I dug around in the glove box for a napkin and a pen.

Embry laughed and clapped me on the bare back. "She hardly noticed," he said with a laugh. "I'll explain it to her when you tell her everything. But right now we need to focus on the house. I'm fine with helping, by the way, thanks for asking."

I turned and handed him a black ink pen and a crinkled up napkin. "Sorry about that. I was desperate."

Embry good naturedly shook his head. "It's no problem. I like doing stuff like this. I'm sure Quil and the boys won't mind lending a hand, either. It'll probably only take a week to get this done."

That sounded nice. I knew Maya would be fine at Stacey's grandparent's hotel and all, but I liked the idea of finishing the house so she could stay here. Besides, it was a lot closer than the hotel and was right on the beach where I usually jogged. I'd have to run into her all of the time.

We headed back into the house and waited in the living room for Maya. The dog got up from the corner and slowly approached me. I held out a hand which he sniffed then licked cautiously.

"Certainly a lot more shy than the real Jake," I muttered before scratching him behind his ear.

"He usually doesn't let strangers pet him," a voice from the doorway said. I looked up to see a now-dry Maya watching me with her head cocked to the side. She was now wearing a navy blue sweater and worn out blue jeans. I couldn't comprehend wearing long sleeves anymore. It wasn't just because of the wolf thing. It was summer, and even in the rainy town of La Push it was a decent temperature.

Embry interrupted my thoughts. "I need to walk around and look at everything. How about you two go walk on the beach or something so I can have my thinking space."

"Thinking space," Maya repeated with a small laugh. "Right. Well, shall we walk then, Seth?"

I made a mental note to thank Embry then nodded and headed out the door. Jake followed close to Maya as we walked down the front steps and toward the beach.

"He's real attached to you, huh?" I asked.

Maya nodded and patted the dog on the head. "He's always been that way. Ever since I've had him."

_So she's a dog lover,_ I thought. _Well, that might come in handy later._

"What about you?" she asked.

I had to cough to cover up my laugh. "Uh, yeah, I like dogs. Wolves, mostly."

"Huh. You know, when I was little I used to ask for a wolf every Christmas. I always got some stuffed toy and was left to pine for the real thing."

Another laugh threatened to force itself out so I bit my lip and focused on how gorgeous Maya was. I wanted to take her hand, to wrap an arm around her shoulder and hold her close. But I knew she wouldn't want me to, so I simply stuck my hands into my pockets and bit back all of the questions I wanted to ask her. I was going to have to take this slowly.

"What brought you here?" I asked her. There. That was a simple, normal question.

Maya tensed up a bit and turned her gaze, which had previously been locked on my face, out towards the grey water. She mulled the question over for so long that I thought she wasn't going to answer. I didn't mind. I took advantage of the silence and tried to breathe in everything about her. I noticed things about Maya that I had never noticed about anyone before. Like the smell that wafted off of her brown hair. It was like green apples sitting in the sunshine and. . .vanilla. Yes, vanilla. There was something else there that I couldn't quite identify. I wasn't quite sure, but whatever it was it worked for her. I hadn't known that smells could be beautiful. But hers was.

For the first time in a while I was very grateful for my wolfy hearing. I could hear every beat her heart was making. Ah, the sound. It was the sweetest music I had ever heard. Right then I knew there was nothing more I could ever want than to be able to hear that sound every day of my life.

I found myself slowly and unnoticeably edging closer to her. I couldn't help it. There was some invisible but very strong force telling my body that I needed to be closer to her. I was almost close enough to touch her when she looked at me again.

"Writing," she told me. I looked at her with confusion for a moment before I realized she was answering my question. "I'm a writer. After graduation I realized I needed to get away somewhere where I could focus on my writing and really give it the attention it needs. I wound up here."

It made sense. La Push was quiet and almost inspiring sometimes in its subtle beauty. There was nothing strange about a young girl wanting to go somewhere where she didn't know anyone so she could write without being bothered. But there was something else. I could see in the way her blue eyes bore into mine as if she was trying to make me believe what she was saying. I wanted to push the subject but decided against it. There would be time for the whole truth later.

"What kind of stuff do you write?" I asked instead.

She sighed, with relief?, and shook her head with a small smile. "Nu uh, Mr. Clearwater. It's my turn to ask some questions."

I laughed and spread my arms out. "Anything." I was sure I knew what she would ask.

She poked me in the ribs. "I've thought about it a lot, and I can't make any sense of it. Why would you walk around this freezing place half naked all of the time?"

I laughed heartily and tried not to get too stuck on the idea that she had been thinking about me.

I couldn't exactly tell her the whole truth. Not yet, anyway. So I came up with something that wasn't everything, but not a lie either. "I grew up here," I explained. "After a while the cold just kind of grows on you, I guess. I mean, I hardly notice it anymore. There's just something about showing off my hot body that makes me feel like I've done something good for the world."

Maya let loose a full, heart filled laugh. The other laughs I had heard had been either forced or not right sounding. But this one was enough to make my heart skip a beat.

She raised a hand as if to put it on my shoulder then seemed to think better of it and shoved it in her pocket like I had done my own. "Of course," she said, still laughing. "Why didn't I think of that?"

It was quiet for a long, peaceful moment. Maya turned and gazed out at the water again. This time it was because she wanted to, not because she needed to look away from me. She spread her arms out and took a deep breath.

"It's so gorgeous here," she whispered.

And gorgeous it was. While she was watching the water, I was watching her. Everything about her was drawing me in deeper and deeper. Her humor, the sound of her laugh, even the way the wind tossed her dark brown hair around relentlessly.

"I could spend all day out here and never get bored," she said quietly. She closed her eyes and kept her face turned towards the water. The truth in her words was evident enough to practically be seen. "People take things like this for advantage, you know? The sound of the water against the waves- it's one of the most beautiful things a person can here yet so many don't stop to listen."

I was formulating a response when Embry's deep voice interrupted.

"You two love birds come on!" he yelled from the house. He just love torturing me.

Maya walked farther away from me on the way back to the house, no doubt feeling a bit awkward from what Embry had said. Nice.

She called Jake to her side who quickly abandoned the fun he had been having at the water's edge and came to her side.

We reached the house and watched in amusement as Embry paced back and forth across the sagging porch. He rubbed his head with his pen and muttered to himself about measurements and tools.

Maya walked up beside him and peered down at the napkin in Embry's hands. I saw her mentally adding up prices of things she'd have to buy. She didn't look too concerned which pleased me. I knew there was no way she'd let me pay for anything.

"Is there somewhere around here to get all of this stuff?" she asked Embry.

He laughed heartily. "Ha, ha, ha. You are new, aren't you? We'll have to go to Seattle to get this stuff." Embry winked at me and wore a sly grin. "I have some things to take care of tomorrow at my house, but I'm sure Seth wouldn't mind taking my truck and going with you to get everything."

Maya froze. "Well, I'm not so sure…I'm sure he has stuff to do."

"Nope!" I quickly said. "Nope. I'm all yours."

She looked almost disappointed for a moment before sighing. "All right. Sure. Thanks."

I shrugged as if it were no big deal while screaming in excitement on the inside. A whole day with Maya was exactly what I needed.

"So I'll see you tomorrow. Should we leave in the morning so we can get back here in time to get some stuff done?" She didn't like wasting time. Just my kind of girl. "Yeah. Does eight sound good?"

She nodded her head and we made arrangements for the next day. After a few more thank you's and a good bye, Embry and I were on our way back to Emily's.

"Ha, ha, ha!" Embry began laughing when we pulled out on the main road. No doubt he was laughing at my expense.

"What is it now?"

"No!" he mocked in a high-pitched voice. "I'm all yours, Maya. While you're at it, you might as well ask for my heart because I'd cut it out and give it to you if that's what you want."

I reached over and smacked him in the head. He was laughing too hard to even try to block me.

"Shut up and drive," I muttered.

_I'm all yours_. The line repeated itself in my head all night long. If only Maya knew how literally I meant it.


	5. Shopping

**A/N Whew! I finally got this chapter up. I've had it for a while, but I had some problems when trying to upload it. Sorry if some of the spacing is wrong. I had to go back in document manager and do all of the paragraphs again because it didn't upload the spacing with it for some reason. Thanks to my amazing betas .It's Gone and MayHopeCullen for being generally awesome and taking the time to edit these chapters.**

**This chapter isn't exactly that long or, in comparison to future chapters, particuarly important, but I hate to just jump into things. I need time to develop the plot and make sure everything is nice and neat and flows well. You readers are in for a surprise here shortly. . .**

**Song for this chapter: Dirty Little Secret by The All-American Rejects (This song may be used again. Maya is just mysterious.)**

**Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and review/favorite/alert my story. It really means a lot. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and having a great time. Be safe! (Oh, and if I haven't sent a reply to your review, be patient. I'll get around to it eventually. **

* * *

_^*MAYA*^_

"What have I done?" I moaned. I plopped down on my bed and covered my eyes with my arm. What had I been thinking when I had agreed to everything? Letting Seth and his friends help me out on the house was one thing. Agreeing to spend a whole entire day shopping with Seth Clearwater was another thing. Would he think I wanted to be friends with him? Hopefully not. It was already bad enough that I had ties to Stacey. She called me at least once a day. Adding Seth and everyone else would just tip everything over. I had to make sure it was clear I didn't want any friends. Or, more accurately, I didn't need any friends.

I heard some voices outside my hotel room. I quickly stood up, flew across the room, and pulled on a shirt to go with my jeans. I slipped on my old faithful tennis shoes and ran a brush through my hair one more time. I grabbed my black jacket from the chair at the desk and pulled it on. It was sure to be raining outside, and I was usually cold anyway.

Therewas a knock at the door. Jake began barking so I quieted him down and got him settled before opening the door. It revealed a very smiley Seth Clearwater and an excited-looking Stacey.

Eight on the dot. Impressive.

"Good morning," Seth said. He showed off his white teeth and leaned against the wall casually. So he was a morning person. It was probably a good thing. I was too tired to deal with any bad attitudes.

"Morning." I shut the door then looked over at Stacey. She was looking between Seth and I while wiggling her eyebrows. I gave her look that discouraged all thoughts she was having and proceeded to walk down the hallway.

"You ready to get our shop on?" Seth asked. He nudged me gently which worried me.

Did people who wanted to be friends nudge each other? Or was I just being paranoid? I decided on the latter one and flipped my hair over one shoulder.

"Yeah, sure. We better get going."

We were almost outside when Stacey grabbed me by my elbow and pulled me into the manager's office. She stared at me excitedly as if she were waiting for me to tell her something.

"What?" I asked wearily.

Staceybounced up and down then squeezed my hands. "You didn't tell me you're going out on a date with Seth. Stinking. Clearwater!"

Iput my hands on her shoulders and tried in vain to hold her still. I should've known she was going to do this. I hadn't known Stacey for long, but I knew enough about her to know that she was going to look into the whole thing with Seth a little too deeply.

"I didn't tell you because it's not a date. We're going to Seattle to get the things we need to fix up the house. In fact, it's so not a date that you're more than welcome to come along."

Stacey laughed and patted my head. "No way. You two need your alone time."

I rolled my eyes and went back towards the door.

"Have fun!" Stacey called.

I reminded myself to avoid her when I got home tonight.

"Stacey giving you a hard time?" Seth asked with a smile. He was propped up against Embry's truck on the passenger side looking too way happier than most people did this time in the morning. He opened my door for me and stood behind me to make sure I didn't fall climbing up in the monstrous vehicle. He made sure I got buckled up then shut the door and got in himself.

"She thinks we're going on a date." I snorted as if it were the most ridiculous idea ever. And, in truth, it was.

Seth chuckled but glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "Of course it's not a date. It's two people going to shop for tools and things."

"Right." I leaned back into the leather seat and made myself comfortable. I watched Seth curiously out of the corner of my eye. He paid a lot of attention to the road and was a pretty good driver. The rain that had started to fall didn't seem to phase him one bit. Of course, if I had to guess I'd say he had driven in worse rain like this a hundred times. Forno other reason than to start a conversation I said, "Embry really loves his truck, huh?"

Seth laughed then shook his head. "No. He adores his truck. He is absolutely infatuated with it."

"I never really had much luck with trucks. I always run off the road."

"That's why you have the Volvo?"

I nodded. "Yeah. My dad- he gave it to me when I was sixteen. He loves that car. Or, loved it anyway." I stared out the window with a blank face. I missed my parents. I wanted to call them, to tell them I was on my way home. But that was not going to happen.

"My friend used to have a car like that." Seth was good at keeping a conversation going without making it seem awkward. Everything he did seemed so…natural. So Seth.

"It's a great car."

"They'll be visiting here next week. They live in Alaska at the moment. I think you'd like them."

I quickly turned my head away and shrugged. "Yeah, maybe I can meet them." Liar, I thought. There was no way I was going to allow anyone else into my twisted up life.

A comfortable silence filled the truck for a moment. I watched the green blur that was Forks pass by us easily. I really did love it here, but it would be nice to escape for a while. There was only so much green a person could take.

"Your parents," Seth said suddenly. His loud voice made me jump which caused him to smirk. It seemed as if he had been struggling to say this for a while. I'm sure he was being very aware of what he asked me considering how skittish I had been acting. "What are they like?"

I felt a small throb of pain in my chest. I figured it wouldn't be bad to tell him about my parents. I mean, it wouldn't really give him any information that he didn't need to know. But talking about them reminded me of everything- everything I missed, everything I had done wrong. I didn't feel like opening up any wounds at the moment.

So I decided on a good ole' half-truth.

"I don't talk to them," I told him. "We're distant." See? I told myself. There's no lying. I haven't talked to them in over a week, and they live so distantly away.

I hated lying. Loathed it actually. But what was I supposed to do? Completely ignore the question and look incompetent? Tell him the truth? Ha! What an idea. Like that would ever happen.

Seth took a moment to take his eyes off the road and gave me one of the most pitiful looks I had ever seen. I could see raw, pure sympathy in his eyes. It wasn't the kind of feel-bad that distant relatives gave you at a funeral. It was absolutely heart felt. But he didn't say sorry and make me squirm around for lying to him about something like that. He did, however, offer something about his own parents.

"My family's pretty close. We've always been like that. When my dad died a couple years ago, we seemed to get even closer."

Then I felt horrible. I had healthy, alive, amazing parents who I had lied about. And Seth? Seth was missing one of the most important people in his life. Perfect.

"I'm sorry," I told him quietly. "About your dad, I mean." And I was. I didn't feel any pity for the boy, just sympathy.

Seth shrugged and gave me a good natured smile. For some reason I felt like he missed his dad a lot more than he let on but was too optimistic to admit it. "Don't be. I got fifteen amazing years with him. Sometimes life is just cut short for people, you know?"

Oh, I knew. I knew all too well.

"This is insane!" I said a bit too loudly in the middle of the isle. A few people turned to stare at me, but I ignored it and turned back to the list I had. I hardly knew what most of this stuff was, let alone where to find it and what it was going to be used for.

"Can't we just get some wood and a hammer and be done with it?"

"Ha!" Seth laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, right! You're certainly lucky I'm here with you." He scanned a shelf carefully then flipped a box off into the buggy with a long index finger. He leaned over me and scratched something off of the massively confusing list in my hands with a pen I had pulled out of my purse moments ago.

As he did this a cloud of scent came off of him. It was a mix of rain, tree sap, ocean waves, and spearmint. It couldn't be a cologne- it was too perfectly balanced for that. I wondered idly if his whole entire house smelled like that. I thought guys were supposed to smell like leather and gym socks? Seth tried to cover a chuckle with a cough which only made him sound like he was choking. I turned away quickly with a lame look on my face as I realized I had been subconsciously smelling the air around him. Well, this was just fantastic.

He had the decency enough to turn his gaze back to the shelves and not say anything. He was a lot less smart than I had thought if, even for a second, he thought I didn't notice the amused smile on his lips.

Desperate to get on to a new moment that didn't involve humiliating myself I asked him where we needed to go next.

"Three isles down," he told me. He grabbed the buggy and began walking towards our next destination in our adventure to conquer the monster house. "We need light fixtures and door screws."

I got a hold on the second buggy (because apparently we were going to fill up two of the massive things) and attempted to keep up with him.

"Hey, long legs!" I called. Seth looked back over his shoulder. "Mind waiting on stumpy, normal people like me?"

Hepretended to consider it for a second then stopped and patiently waited on me. To be honest I was in fact moving a bit slower than most people did. I had started to feel nauseas about an hour ago when we reached Seattle and the feeling hadn't faded. If Seth noticed he didn't say anything. He simply waited for me to catch up then ventured onward. He controlled his long strides so I at least had somewhat of a chance at staying beside him.

When we reached the isle I was overwhelmed by the amount of choices I had. Who knew there were so many light fixtures!

Sethlooked over at me with his deep brown eyes expectedly. "What's the verdict?"

I laughed bitterly and shook my head. I had to sweep my bangs out of my eyes so I could actually see him. "Nu-uh. I may not have mentioned this, but I'm not a very good decision maker. We'll be here all day if it's left up to me. You choose."

"Oh, you might have mentioned it a time or two. When we were picking out tiles. And when we got we got doorknobs. And-"

"All right," I muttered. "I get the picture. Just pick something."

He grinned but complied to my requests. He put his hand on his chin and studied the isle for a long moment before picking up a few boxes and sticking them in his buggy with ease. "You know, most girls are absolutely giddy over picking stuff out for their first house. How come it's not a big deal to you?"

I shrugged as if I hadn't really considered it which was, once again, a lie. Because you won't be here that long, my mind told me. I ignored the thought as I always did and looked back at the list for the hundredth time.

Seth leaned back over and crossed off the light fixtures. The length of his arms was mind boggling. I kept picturing the stretch Armstrong doll my neighbor Ben had adored in first grade. He was just so. . .long!

Anothertwo hours passed and I was absolutely dying to get out of this place. "What more could we possibly need?" I moaned. I pretended to have to drag myself through the next isle. Bolts, tiles, spackle, wallpaper, drywall, bricks, cement, leveling sand, drill parts, paint- it all swirled around in my head like a menagerie from every guy's dream world.

Seth, who had gone into complete handy-man mode long ago, raked his eyes over the list once again. He was nothing if not thorough. He didn't just choose things or settle for something. He knew what he wanted and he didn't stop until he got it.

"Actually," he said with a small smile. "I think that's it."

The flood of relief that welled up in me decided to make its way to the surface. "Yes!" I yelled. Not for the first time, a few people turned to look at me. "Let's check this junk out and get out of here." I all but ran to the nearest empty register. Seth followed behind me with his long strides and helped me begin putting things up on the conveyor belt.

As expected it took nearly forty five minutes to get everything checked out. Seth kept his eyes on the total and winced every now and then as if this was absolutely killing him. I didn't even pay attention. I may not have known a lot about fixing houses up, but I had known from the very beginning that it wasn't going to be cheap. I wasn't worried, though. I had enough money to last me my time in La Push. My car was paid off and I wouldn't be paying rent. This part of my plan worked out. As for the other parts? I was still looking into that.

When the middle-aged lady at the register told me the total I thought Seth was going to collapse. He grabbed on to the counter with both hands and took a few deep breaths. Ignoring him, I pulled out my debit card.

"No, no, no," he said quickly. He snatched the card out of my hands before I could blink and began digging in his back pocket. "Let me get it."My mouth actually dropped before I composed myself. Was he crazy? Or trying to prove something? This was a big purchase, and by big I mean insanely huge. He had just met me!

"Seth," I snapped. He came back from whatever world he was in and looked at me. "Give me my card back."He gently laid it in the palm of my right hand and shoved his wallet back in his pocket.

"Crazy boys," I muttered under my breath before finishing paying for everything.

"Get your head back on and get the other buggy," I told him. I thanked the woman who checked us out, got one of the buggies, and preceded out of the hardware store.

"Are you insane?" Seth questioned as soon as we were out of the automatic doors. "That's a lot of money, Maya. A ton of money. Don't you need it for college? Or your phone bill? Or…" he trailed off.

"I'm not going to college and I don't talk to many people. I don't discuss financial matters with people so drop it." Another lie. I had no problem talking money with people. I just didn't want this to lead to a bunch of questions that I couldn't answer.

Seth huffed but didn't say another word until we reached the truck. I helped him get everything situated then walked with him to put the baskets away.

"Wanna race?" he questioned after slamming the tailgate shut.

I cocked my head to the side. "Race?"

"Yeah. It's where-"

"I know where it is. We don't need to race," I began walking towards the buggy rack.

"Cheater!" Seth accused with a laugh. I heard the scraping of wheels against the asphalt then saw something blur past me with what sounded like 'woo!' I watched in awe as Seth rushed towards the buggy place at an amazing speed. When he reached the stopping point, hardly escaping wrecking, he did some odd victory dance which was a combination of the running man, the cabbage patch, and some odd move which looked like he was swinging a lasso above his head. I was still rooted in my spot, wondering what had just happened. Not once had I ever met someone so amazingly. . .weird. Seth Clearwater was the most interesting person I had ever met. I was in very high danger of wanting to be friends with him. If he knew what was good for him, he'd get as far away as he could from me. But at the moment he was too busy skipping towards the truck to realize we were entering into a very dangerous situation.

After making me admit I had, indeed, tried to cheat and that Seth was the master of the buggy race, he got into the truck and buckled up. I didn't believe either of those things but was just itching to get way far away from the hardware store of horrors.

"Are you hungry?" he asked me.

At the mere thought of food my stomach growled loudly.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Really," I quickly protested. "We should probably just get home. I can make some sandwiches there."

Seth slammed on the breaks in the middle of the road. Luckily no one was behind us.

"Seth!" I gave him a look that told him I was definitely questioning whether she should be driving or not.

He gave me a dead serious look. "I am a growing boy, Maya Anderson. I. Need. Food."

I held my hands up like someone on the verge of being arrested. "Okay, okay. Whatever. Just drive, crazy."

"Ah sweet success."

This only sharpened the point he had made earlier about being stubborn. Not that he was trying to prove a point, of course. I was trying to prove it to myself. Trying to tell myself that if Seth ever wanted to be friends, he'd break through any walls that I tried to put up. But at the moment with Seth mumbling along to some song on the radio he thought he knew and my stomach growling like crazy, I couldn't find it in me to really give the idea any consideration.

"What sounds good to you?" Seth asked. He glanced out the windows at the multiple restaurants we were passing.

Honestly, I couldn't find it in me to be picky. The nausea I had been experiencing earlier had passed and left me with an empty, hollow-feeling stomach. "Whatever you want is cool, Seth," I answered.

Seth looked thoughtful for a moment before suddenly he did a sharp right turn and pulled into a parking lot. Multiple cars around us honked angrily.

"I'm starting to think you had a real problem getting your license," I muttered.

Seth quickly hopped out of the truck and opened my door for me before answering. He gave me a quirky smile and leaned against the open door in a way that I had already grown accustomed to.

"I passed with flying colors. Thank you very much."

I rolled my eyes and hopped out. A wave of vertigo hit me, and I swayed a bit. I was used to episodes like this, but obviously Seth wasn't. He put a large hand on my shoulder and attempted to steady me.

"Whoa. Are you all right?" His touch was gentle yet strong and warmer than I could ever imagine.

Ignoring the obvious aura of concern surrounding him, I quickly stepped out from under his hand and headed into the restaurant without looking back. Smooth moves, Maya. Smooth moves.

_!/SETH\!_

I stood out next to the truck for a moment trying to figure out what had happened. Things had been going great, amazing even. Maya was starting to actually enjoy my company, it seemed. She had been joking around with me and laughing at my jokes and doing all of the things that friends did. When I had touched her shoulder to steady her, however, she had gotten away from me as fast as she could. She hadn't even said anything or looked at me.

Maya had a lot of secrets. That was something even a stranger could see about her. I knew it was going to take time, maybe more than I had originally anticipated, for her to warm up to me enough to trust me with those secrets, but I couldn't help but wonder what it was she was holding inside.

I slowly began walking towards the restaurant where Maya was already inside. Maybe a past boyfriend had been physically abusive towards mere thought made an angry, vicious heat course through my body. No one would ever hurt her- not as long as I was around. I took a few calming breaths and thought harder.

That couldn't be it. If she had any dark past like that, she wouldn't have gone shopping with me alone in the first place. Of course, what did I know? Maybe whatever had happened had been long ago and the touch had just brought everything back. I sighed and kicked a rock in my path. Eh, what did I know? There could be a million things going on in that head of hers. One thing I was certain of. No matter what she had been through or what secrets she was holding, I would always be there for Maya.


	6. Homecoming

**Well...I understand it's been forever since I've updated, and I apologize. School has been crazy, but since we have a break coming up I should be able to update a lot. I appreciate if anyone is actually reading this, and I am very sorry for the wait. This chapter is short and probably has some mistakes, but I figured something is better than nothing. Thanks!**

* * *

"There!" I exclaimed. I set down my paint brush and took a good look around. The brown color of paint Seth had picked up had been perfect for the previously white walls of the living room. After a couple days of painting, a few ruined shirts, and a lot of washing to get paint out of my hair, I had finally gotten the whole house painted. Though I had kept up my end of the bargain by making the guys lunch everyday they worked, I hadn't felt like I was doing enough to help. Since I was dangerous with power tools and knew nothing about fixing front porches and leaky faucets, I had decided to paint. It was a good job for me. It gave me an excuse to be away from everyone and ultimately kept up the businesslike atmosphere I had tried to lay down.

A low whistle from the doorway got my attention. I looked up to see Seth appraising the room with a small grin while wiping his hands on his jeans. His short hair was damp from the light drizzle outside, and he scratched uncomfortably at his light blue t-shirt.

"It looks nice in here," he told me.

"Thanks. How's the roof coming along?" I asked in return.

"It's finished. We fixed all the leaks. We're getting ready to work on the front porch now."

"That's great!" The progress that had been made by the guys was absolutely amazing. Not only had they fixed the problems inside and the leaky roof, but they had done it in less than two weeks. The stamina of these guys was astounding. They started around eight in the morning and didn't go home until dinner time. They never complained or fussed about working. They joked around and teased each other and did a lot of poking at Seth. Their bond was undeniable. I had seen guys at my old high school hang out, but this was different. They were just…connected- connected in a way I couldn't understand. Their bond was something that caught my interest. In fact it had inspired my latest writing piece, the first thing I had written since coming out here. The story was just a skeleton now, but I knew that after the house was finished I'd have plenty of time to myself to work it out.

"Yeah. So, uh," Seth rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

_Here we go,_ I thought. Every night before the guys left, Seth would ask me if I wanted to come with him and the guys to his friend Emily's house for dinner. I always declined, of course, but Seth was really persistent.

"So do you think you'd want to go to Emily's with us to-" Seth stopped suddenly as if he couldn't talk anymore. He cocked his head and seemed to focus intently on something I couldn't see. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and he turned and walked out the front door while muttering something about Jake.

"Jake?" I questioned. I followed him outside thinking he was talking about my dog who had earlier been playing down on the beach.

"Jacob!" Seth yelled from the driveway. I could hear a few men's voices and watched as the rest of the guys dropped their tools and ran out around the house.

Beyond confused, I walked out into the drizzling rain around the house and to the driveway where my car, Embry's truck, and a very expensive looking black car were parked. Seth was hugging the neck of a guy just as large and tan as he.

"Seth," the guy, who looked about Embry's age, complained. "Let go of me, kid. I just saw you three months ago." The guy tried to sound agitated, but it was clear to everyone how excited he was to be here.

Seth continued hugging him tightly. "Three months too long!" he yelled, but he finally released him.

"Shew. I can breathe again," the guy said. Right at that time Embry, Quil, Collin and Brady all tackled him to the ground.

"Jacob!" They yelled while taking turns putting him in headlocks and giving him high fives.

I smiled and looked on in wonder. So this was Jacob. _The _Jacob. Seth had been talking about him non-stop for the past week. While shopping at the hardware store, Seth had told me his friends were coming in for a little while. Jacob was the missing piece of the group. I felt like I already knew him from everything Seth had told me about him.

When Jacob could finally stand up again, his brushed off his clothes then turned to me. "Is this her?" he asked Seth in a voice too loud for me not to hear. Seth nodded and brought him over to me.

"Jacob, Maya. Maya, Jacob."

I held out my hand for him to shake, but Jacob pulled me into a bone crushing hug. I stood there rather awkwardly, kind of patting his back while at the same time trying to pull out of his hold. I could see Seth shaking his head with disbelief. I was sure he had told Jacob about my business-like demeanor. Jacob didn't seem to care.

"Nice to meet you," he said after finally letting me go.

"Er…you too. I've heard a lot about you."

Jacob nodded then turned to Seth with somewhat of a mischievous smile on his face. "Hey, Seth. Did you invite Maya over for dinner tonight? She can meet the whole gang. Bella's making Italian."

Seth glared at Jacob then looked past him at my froze figure. "Do you, uh, wanna come with us tonight? To meet the Cullens?" He seemed to know my answer before I said it.

I gestured to my old clothes and paint spattered hair. "I really shouldn't. I've got to get back to the hotel and wash up. You guys go on ahead. You've worked hard enough today." I was thankful for my current appearance. It kept my from having to come up with some excuse for not going to the dinner. At that time, though, my stomach growled. Of course.

"Oh, come on," Jacob urged. "You're hungry! Dinner isn't for another hour. Seth can pick you up after you shower and get ready. He doesn't mind."

"I don't mind," Seth added eagerly.

I opened my mouth to protest but didn't get the chance to.

"I'm glad you're coming! The Cullen's will be please to have you. Me and the guys will go back now, and you get back to your hotel room and get ready. Seth will pick you up in about an hour. Good? Good." Jacob Black turned and walked away.

After taking a second to pack up all their tools, Embry and the rest of the guys piled into Embry's truck and Jacob's shiny black car. I stood there in awe, wondering how I had gotten pulled into this.

Seth gave me a tiny grin. This was apparently his apologetic smile. "I'm really sorry about him. Jacob can be…difficult. Um…if you don't want to come I can tell them something when I get there." Embry's horn honked loudly in the driveway, but Seth ignored it.

I sighed and Seth began shuffling his feet in the damp grass as he waited for my answer. He looked like he really wanted me to go. It seemed unfair that he was so nice to me and I gave him nothing in return. He hadn't tried to pull anything when we had gone shopping, and that would've been the best time to do it. Not once had he tried to push a friendship on me. It seemed like he just enjoyed being around me. That wasn't too bad, was it? Besides, after the house was done Seth would have something else to do. He was a teenager who had plenty of friends and no school. He wouldn't want to waste it hanging around with me. It was only dinner, after all…

"Pick me up in an hour," I told him after brushing my bangs out of my eyes.

Seth's brown eyes gleamed even though the sun was hidden by clouds. "Okay." He began backing away to Embry's truck, his grin getting bigger and bigger as he walked. "Great. I'll see you then." He waved then turned and ran towards Embry's truck. I heard Embry whoop when he opened the door and saw Seth smack him on the back of the head.

I smiled and turned to get Jake and lock up the house. For the next hour I reminded myself it was only dinner and assured myself I wasn't making any friends.

"So how many people are going to be there?" I asked Seth after hopping into the cab of his truck. Even though it was the middle of the summer, I was still chilly, so I rubbed my hands together then tucked them into my lap. Seth noted this and turned the heat on. I nodded gratefully.

"Well, there's Jacob and the guys, Edward and Bella, their…er…niece Renesmee, Edward's parents Carlisle and Esme, Edward's brothers Jasper and Emmett, and Edward's sisters Alice and Rosalie."

He reached in the back seat and scratched Jake behind the ears. He had asked me to bring him because Edward's niece loved dogs.

My face wrinkled in confusion. "But didn't you say Emmett and Rosalie and Jasper and Alice were together?"

Seth nodded as he turned out of my driveway. "None of them are really related except Edward and Renesmee. They're all adopted." Even though the situation was odd, I simply nodded my head in understanding. I shifted around uncomfortably at the thought of being around so many people. It wasn't even about trying not to make friends. I had never been a big fan of large crowds, especially if it was a bunch of people I didn't know. But if everyone acted like Jacob I didn't think there'd be a problem.

I glanced out the windshield but quickly shifted my gaze. The lights of the passing cars in the opposite lane were just making my headache worse. It had started after I got out of the shower and had been getting worse and worse since then. Luckily for me I was used to hiding the pain and was able to keep Seth unaware.

"Where exactly are we going, anyway?" I had realized I hadn't even asked Seth where the Cullens were staying. It was becoming real clear to me it was near impossible to trust a guy like him.

Seth smirked but kept his eyes on the road. "Well, they own a nice little house in Forks they use when they come to visit. I think you'll like it."

I didn't get whatever inside joke he was hinting at, but I smiled anyway, and I realized too late to stop myself that it was because I liked the way he smiled.

I didn't have time to consider this for too long because Seth quickly filled the silence with a question that seemed to have been on his mind for a while.

"Do you have any siblings?" He rushed through the words as if he couldn't get through them quickly enough.

I shifted around uncomfortably as I always did when he asked me questions like this. It was a touchy subject with me. I ran a hand through my hair and, for a moment, I considered not answering. But Seth seemed like it was something he direly needed to know so I told him. "I have an older sister. Her name is Saige, and she has a two year old daughter named Kara."

Seth turned his head and looked at me with a surprised expression. "Really?"

I nodded my head.

"Well…how come you've never mentioned them before?"

I sighed and turned back towards the window. This I didn't want to answer, and Seth obviously got the hint because he reached over and turned the knob on the radio to some old country station and pretended he actually knew the words to whatever song was playing.

The hurt of the headache seemed to dull for a second.


	7. The Dinner

**Hello! Some of you may be wondering about Seth's age. As I mentioned in the first chapter, this story takes place three years after Breaking Dawn. Seth was 16 there, so he is 18 turning 19. Maya is turning 18 (she started school early) and they have both graduated from high school. I assure you Maya isn't a cougar. **

**Since it's three years after Breaking Dawn, I figure Nessie is about 13 in looks. It takes 7 years for her to look full grown and she'll be about 17 in looks when that happens so...13 sounds good to me. **

**Thanks for reading and thanks for the reviews! **

**Merry Christmas!**

**And thanks to my amazing beta .Its Gone. **

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" I whispered wearily to Seth as we climbed the steps to enter the Cullen house. I had realized straight away why he had smiled when he had said they own a 'nice little' house. That was an understatement if I had ever heard one. The Cullen house was definitely the most gorgeous house I had ever seen. A hidden treasure in Forks, it was hidden deep in the woods and stood proud and bright in a clearing in the trees. Seth said they had owned it for a while and simply couldn't bear parting with it. I had thought it was ludicrous that someone could afford two houses, but now it made sense. The Cullens were filthy rich.

Seth shrugged like it wasn't a big deal and put his hand on the knob. "It's really no big deal, Maya. It's just dinner. They're really nice people."

"I don't doubt that," I whispered, scratching anxiously at the back of my neck. I felt a nervous blush begin to creep up into my face. "I just don't think I'm exactly…_prepared_ for this kind of dinner." I knew the dinner had to be fancier than jeans and a high school t-shirt, although Seth had settled for jeans and a dark blue button up shirt. Who was I kidding? A girl needed to be in a prom dress just to look right standing on the porch.

Seth laughed carelessly (surprise, surprise) and waved my worries away with the flick of a wrist. "You're worrying for nothing. We'll be lucky if everyone is wearing shirts."

"_What?_" I questioned in a high-pitched voice. But I didn't get an answer. Seth opened the door without another word. I patted Jake on the head one last time before stepping across the threshold.

"Knock, knock!" Seth said loudly before shutting the door behind us. His sparkling smile matched the white room we stood in. I tried not to let my mouth hang open too much as I took in the room. A woman turned the corner and rushed into Seth's arms.

"Seth!" she squealed in a delighted honey-like voice. "I'm so glad you made it."

"Hello, Esme," he replied while squeezing her back. "It's great to see you."

He released her and she turned towards me. "Hello," she said, extending an incredibly white hand. "I'm Esme Cullen. It's so nice to meet you."

I was taken back by her appearance. She was easily one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. She was roughly in her early thirties, late twenties, with long, caramel colored hair, flawless skin, and eyes the color of honey. She put any woman on a magazine cover to shame. I took her hand and tried my best to keep my smile on. Her skin was ice cold and marble smooth.

"I'm Maya," I said quietly. "Thank you so much for having me over tonight."

"It's our pleasure," a voice said from the doorway. Just like Esme, this man was photo-shop good looking with blonde hair and eyes that same peculiar honey color. He stood next to Esme and wrapped an arm around her. "We're so pleased to meet you. My name is Carlisle Cullen. I'm Esme's husband." He reached down and patted Jake who, for some reason, acted as if he had known him his whole life. He licked Carlisle's hand then turned back to me as if to ask me what to do next.

Carlisle stuck out his other hand and I shook it. Sure enough, it was cold and smooth. Weird.

"Please join us." He gestured to somewhere I couldn't see and gave me a bright smile. "We've just finished preparing dinner. The rest of the family is in here." He turned and started leading us towards what I assumed would be the dining room. Jake followed quietly at my side.

When I thought they were out of earshot I whispered up to Seth, "What is it with you people in Forks? They're freezing cold and you're so hot." I hadn't caught what I had said until it was too late. Seth snorted and had to cough to cover up his laughter.

I glared at him and nudged him playfully in the ribs. I was sure my headache was starting to make me see things, because I thought I saw Esme giggle as if she had heard us.

There was a lot of commotion in the dining room. I heard some loud voices, a girl squealing delightedly, and a boy chuckling. "Put me down!" the girl laughed. I didn't catch the boy's reply, because everyone froze when we entered the dining room.

"Hey guys!" Seth said as if the moment wasn't completely awkward.

Everyone said a hey to him then turned their eyes towards me. "Er…hi. I'm Maya." I kept my eyes on Quil and Embry who were sitting at the table stuffing what looked like biscuits into their mouths. They were the only ones not staring at me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the guy who had been laughing put down a girl about my age. I recognized the guy as Jacob, but the girl I was sure I had never seen.

I realized Jacob wasn't wearing a shirt and blushed when I felt myself staring. I hadn't meant to, but Seth's words about not everyone wearing a shirt had run back through my mind.

"Jake," the girl said quietly. There was a small grin on her face, and I could tell she was fighting back giggles.

He looked at Seth who was shaking his head as if to say 'way to go' then mumbled a sorry and disappeared to go put a shirt on. The silence came once again.

"It's about time!" a loud voice yelled, breaking the silence. "I was beginning to wonder what you look like. Every time Seth calls he talks about you, and he calls a lot. It's good to have a face to the name." A very large guy about my age walked up and mussed my hair. He was tall and bulky like most guys on our football team back home except much larger and way scarier looking. He had short dark hair and a grin stretching from one side of his face to the other. "I'm Emmett," he told me.

"Nice to meet you," I said.

Seth, obviously worried someone else would say something about him, decided to take it upon himself to introduce everyone. "Okay, Maya, the blonde one over there is Jasper, next to him is Alice, across the room is Rosalie, and you know Emmett. Edward is over there-" a good looking guy with bronze hair raised his hand in a wave. "and next to him is Bella. Edward's niece is beside Jacob and you met everyone else."

"You forgot about me," said the girl who Jacob -who now had a shirt on- had had thrown across his shoulder. "I'm Renesmee, but you can call me Nessie." She was young, about thirteen, and she looked a lot like Edward…and a little like Bella. I held my hand out but instead of letting me shake it she dove down and began petting Jake. "Oh he's so cute! What's his name?" she questioned.

"Jake."

Nessie busted out into a fit of giggles as did everyone else in the room. I tried to laugh along with them but the sound was hammering into my head which already felt like it was splitting in two. I turned to Esme who had been standing beside me and asked where her bathroom was.

"Go up the stairs and take a left," she said with a smile.

I nodded gratefully and did as she said after telling Jake to stay. He laid down comfortably on the floor while Nessie covered him in affection.

On my way up the stairs a peculiar hanging on the wall caught my eye. A huge frame full of color coordinated graduation hats hung proudly on the white wall. I felt my eyebrows wrinkle in confusion. Who wanted to collect these? They couldn't possibly be all theirs. I shook my head in amazement and continued to the bathroom. When I reached it I shut the door behind me and flipped on the light. It was done in a wolf theme with a wolf shower curtain and a large very well done painting of a wolf. It was very large and brown and had deep brown eyes. Those eyes. They looked almost like…

A sharp pain surged through my head and I lost my focus. Remembering why I had come up here I unzipped my purse and dug through it quickly. After finding my bottle of Tylenol I got a sip of water from the sink and took two of them. I knew it wouldn't make me feel completely better but it would certainly help. I washed my hands and turned the light back out and headed back down to the dining room, taking deep breaths the whole way. The Cullen family seemed nice, very nice, but I was afraid they had the wrong idea about Seth and I. We weren't even friends, but that Emmett guy had made it sound like Seth and I were a couple or something. It was ludicrous. Of course, I wasn't really helping the situation by coming here tonight. Of course it seemed as if we were friends. Why would he bring someone who wasn't his friend? I couldn't do this again. No more dinners or meetings of Seth's friends. It was giving everyone the wrong idea, including me.

I was lying to myself if I said I didn't want to be Seth's friend. He was funny and good natured and extremely kind, the type of person everyone wanted to be friends with. Add in his good looks and great personality and you had the perfect best friend. But I knew it wouldn't work out. Seth struck me as the kind of person who got attached to people. If he became someone's friend he took it on as a sort of duty. He had this ere about him that told me he liked to watch out for the people he cared about, and the last thing I needed was someone becoming attached or trying to watch out for me. It might be okay now, but three months down the road? I wouldn't be able to be a great friend, and I didn't want anyone to see me like that. It was better to keep my distance from Seth Clearwater…and everyone else for that matter.

"What made you guys move out to Alaska?" I questioned eagerly after taking a sip of water. I hadn't known the Cullens for even an hour, but I knew that if they were one thing, it was exciting.

After everyone had begun to eat Edward had started telling me about all the places he and his family had been to. Africa, Italy, Australia, Peru- the list went on and on. For people of my age, the Cullens were certainly well traveled. I had always wanted to go around the world and get ideas for stories but had, of course, never gotten the chance. The farthest place I had ever been from home was a little place called Forks, Washington.

Carlisle took this question. "I used to be a doctor here in Forks. It was a great job, but I got an offer in Alaska that I simply couldn't refuse. Besides, it was time for us to have a change of scenery anyway. We aren't the kind of family who likes to stay places for too long."

"How come?" I asked. I knew I must've sounded like a complete Nosezella, but the writer in me was intrigued. The Cullens, just like Seth and the boys, were the type of people books were based upon.

"We get bored easily," Emmett answered with a laugh.

I nodded and took another bite of my pasta. "This is wonderful, Bella, you did an amazing job," I complimented. I had never met anyone my age who could cook this good, but Bella had talent.

She gave me a big white smile. Along with everyone else she was exceptionally good looking. She had long brown hair, the kind of body all girls wanted, and the same honey eyes, which I had decided were contacts. It would we inaccurate to describe any of the Cullens as shy, but Bella was definitely the most quiet of the group. She seemed perfectly content to just listen as long as she had a hold of Edward's hand. They seemed perfectly in tune, and the way he looked at her told me he wanted nothing more than to be with her the rest of his life.

It was quite inspiring, really, since they were so young. I couldn't think of a boy back home who would even consider being committed to one girl. But Edward seemed perfectly at peace, and so did Emmett…and Jasper…and even Jacob who seemed to be Renesmee's best friend. It was odd, their little arrangement, but I found myself sort of envying it. I had always wanted the fairy tale romance where an amazing guy gave me his full heart and promised to always be there for me. I felt a sort of loss at the thought that I'd never be able to have that. Just something else to be taken away from me.

"Yeah, this is great, Mo-" Nessie started. She exchanged a look with Edward then said, "Most amazing girlfriend of my brother. You did a nice job."

I saw Alice giggle behind her water glass.

"What about yourself?" Jasper asked. "Why did you move here?"

I instantly felt myself begin to panic. How to answer the question without giving too much away? I felt fearful for a moment but then all of a sudden a sense of calm covered me. "I needed a place to get away after graduation. I wanted a summer to devote to my writing before moving on with my life. My grandpa's house was here so it all worked out."

Jasper nodded thoughtfully. "You write?" he asked.

Though I was very proud of my writing, it made me sort of nervous talking about it. I had yet to let anyone read something I had written. I feared it because every time I wrote something, I put a piece of myself in it. And if someone didn't like it…well, they didn't like me. "Yeah. I've loved it for as long as I can remember."

"Edward writes too," Nessie added.

I turned towards Edward who was shaking his head. "Not that kind of writing. I write music."

"Really," I mused. "What instrument do you play?"

"Everything," Bella laughed.

Edward rolled his eyes playfully. "My favorite is the piano. Actually, I've been teaching Seth some."

I looked over at Seth who before now had been listening intently to the conversation.

"I love piano," I informed him quickly. I had always wanted to play but had never had the patience to learn how. "Could I…could I hear you play sometime?" I asked hesitantly. Would that be too friend like?

Seth's face faltered. "Well, I'd love to let you but I'm really no good." He gave me an apologetic smile and tried to change the subject. "Dinner was great. How about dessert?"

"No, no, no," Alice said. "Play for her, Sethie!" she teased. Clearly she was enjoying this. She bounced around in her chair, her short black hair gleaming in the kitchen lights. "She wants to hear you."

He turned back to me and I tried to give him the best puppy dog face I could muster. This was another side of Seth, the bashful side, and I was enjoying it immensely. "Please, Seth? For me?"

"She's got him now," Quil said with a laugh from across the table. And have him I did. Seth jumped up from his chair at an almost dangerous speed and pulled my own chair out.

"Okay, I'll show you."

With a victorious smile on my face I followed him through the rooms into one that held a very old, very well used piano. It was dusty and chipped, but it only added to the character. Seth sat down on the bench and patted the space next to him. I sat down and waited patiently.

"I'm really not that good," he warned. "In fact I'm horrible." He gave an easy laugh then settled his long, tan fingers on the keys. "This is a little piece Edward wrote a few years back. It sounds a lot better when he plays it of course, but I'll try not to butcher it."

He stopped talking, took a deep breath, then began playing. I tried to listen to the music, but I found myself very distracted by the look on his face. His lips were pursed and his eyebrows were pushed together in concentration. His dark hair kept falling in his eyes but he didn't let it bother him. He looked so indomitable, so determined to do it right that I had to stop myself from saying something and interrupting the song. I had never seen someone so set to do something, and somehow I knew it was all for me.

I quickly turned my head away and tried to focus in on the music. His fingers were clumsy and uncoordinated, and he made little grunts when he messed up. The song was choppy but I could hear the undertone of something amazing trying to escape. _And it was for me…_

The music ended, and Seth waited with bated breath. "Well?" he asked when I didn't say anything.

"That's the most beautiful song I have ever heard," I answered honestly.

Seth gave me a look as if I had just told him he had become President or something. "Really?" he asked. "Thanks."

I nodded and turned shyly towards the keys. I touched one and listened closely to the sound. "Do you think…maybe…I mean, if you wanted to…" I trailed off and shook my head nervously. "Never mind."

"Go ahead," Seth urged in a gentle voice. Carefully, as if he were trying to grab a bubble without popping it, he touched my shoulder. "Never be afraid to tell me anything."

I felt my heart stutter at the sincerity in his voice and the heat of his hand but quickly waved the feeling away. "I was just wondering if you could teach me to play." I rushed through the words so quickly it was hard for even me to understand them. But Seth had heard enough to get it. He took his hand from my shoulder and put it back on the piano. He pressed a combination of keys that made a beautiful sound then answered, "It'd be my honor."

I felt a sort of click somewhere in my chest as if a key had been turned in a lock. I thought about what I had promised myself earlier about not meeting anyone else or spending any more time with Seth and quickly threw it all out the window. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad if I had some friends. Everyone needed friends, right? And in a town this small it would be hard to avoid. So Seth would teach me a little piano and I would have dinner with some nice people every now and then. I would still be able to avoid a deep relationship, which was what I had come here to keep from having. Things would be fine, I told myself. I ignored the little voice that said I was lying.

We walked back into the living room where there was a Wii war going on.

"Emmett!" Alice yelled. "Put. Me. Down! _We are supposed to be playing as a team_," she screeched. I watched the screen where the Mario character had picked up Luigi and dropped him off a cliff.

Emmett laughed maniacally and stood up on the couch. He pressed the buttons on his controller wildly then let out a whoop when he got to the end point. "It's every man for himself around here," Emmett said while Alice stuck her tongue out. "One would think you'd know that by now."

I laughed and settled on the love seat next to Seth. I looked around the room and took everything, or should I say _everyone_, in.

Renesmee was on the wooden floor with Jake, playing tug of war with a sock while Jacob watched on. Edward was on a loveseat on the other side of the room playing with Bella's hair. She had her nose stuck in a book, but for some reason it seemed as if she was actually focusing on him.

Rosalie was on the floor with a car magazine, leaning back against Emmett's knees. Jasper was sitting next to Alice and had joined the game. He had his eyes narrowed as he tried to keep Emmett from picking up Alice's character again.

Quil and Embry were standing behind the couch, throwing Cheeze-its into the air to see who could catch the most in their mouth. When Embry one he did a ridiculous version of the running man.

Last but not least, Carlisle and Esme were in the corner, heads bowed close together and smiles lighting up their faces as they watched their family.

The scene made me homesick beyond belief. I had spent many nights like this with my own family, but it had been way too long. I thought of my parents and wondered if they were still trying to find out where I was. I had told them in the note I had left not to worry about me, but I knew they would anyway. I wished I could call them just to hear their voices, just to hear them tell me to come home. But I knew if I did that I _would_ go home, and that would ruin everything.

"Maya?" Nessie's voice interrupted my thoughts. I looked up to see her standing in front of me with Jake at her side, his tail wagging wildly. He had really taken to her. "Do you mind if I take Jake outside? Does he like fetch?"

"Oh, he loves it. He'll enjoy that, Ness."

She smiled and turned to leave but stopped herself. She surveyed Seth and me with a calculating look on her face. She leaned over and put her hand on Seth's face. It was weird, but he looked like he was listening to her talk or something.

He smiled and jumped up, swooping her into his arms in a quick fluid motion. "I don't think so, squirt," he laughed before flipping her upside down.

She giggled and fought to be put down. "Do it!" she laughed. "It'll be fine, I promise!"

He didn't reply but instead slung her over his shoulder. "Here, Jacob," Seth said to Jacob who had just walked up. "Take this wild thing outside."

Jacob laughed and put Nessie on his back. Jake barked excitedly at his heels. "Let's go," he said before running towards the door with Nessie laughing madly.

I couldn't help but smile. Seth sat back down and shook his head. "Crazy kid," he muttered, but you could hear the adoration in his voice.

"You like kids?" I asked him.

He leaned back on the sofa and put his hands behind his head. "Yeah, I do. I help Quil watch Claire all the time."

"Claire- who is she?" I questioned. I had heard Quil call and check on her quite a few times while he had been working on the house, but I had never asked who she was. "Is she Quil's kid?"

Seth shook his head quickly. "No, no. She's Emily's niece. She turned seven a short while back. Quil helps watch her when her mom's working. He's like the big brother she never had."

"That's sweet."

"Yeah, it is. He really loves her." He gave me this weird look that I couldn't decipher. After a second he seemed to snap out of it and turned away bashfully. "Do you want to go outside and mess around with Jake and Nessie?" he asked before standing up. He held out his hand for me to grab and, surprisingly, I took it. He pulled me up, but it was too fast.

My head spun, and it felt like someone was driving an ice pick into my brain. I gripped Seth's hand tightly without realizing it, and he immediately knew something was wrong.

"Maya?" he questioned softly. Concern coated his usually gentle voice which was now thick and gravely. "Hey, are you okay?"

I couldn't focus enough to answer his question. I felt myself slipping away from the room, from the night, from the world. I felt Seth's warm arms around me as my body went limp and my feet left the ground.

Darkness. Fuzziness. It was all that was left.

The last thing I thought was how adorable Seth looked when he panicked.


	8. Waking Up and Moving In

**I neglect you readers. (If there are any left.) And I am sorry. ...but it isn't going to change anytime soon...soo...**

**No song for this chapter: Please send in song suggestions! Thanks!**

**P.S. The story shall start picking up soon :) **

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I had never heard Seth yell or even raise his voice, but he seemed pretty close to it. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew he was flipping out about something.

"No! You can't- you can't just do that without her knowledge, Edward. If something's wrong, I want her to tell me. I don't want to hear it from you."

"Okay," a voice I recognized as Edward's said calmly. "I'm sorry for suggesting it. Everything will work out fine, I promise."

"What's going on?" I mumbled. My head felt light and dizzy, but the pain was gone.

I heard loud clumsy footsteps then a warm hand covered mine. Seth. "Are you okay?" he asked hurriedly. "I mean, you aren't hurt or anything, are you? I caught you, but I could've squeezed you or something." I felt his hand stiffen on mine. "Oh no. Did I hurt you? Did I hold you too tightly?" My eyes finally slipped open, and Seth's face was right in front of mine.

"No, you didn't hurt me." He stayed where he was, and I was surprised how nice his face looked up close. But he was just too close. "Er…Seth?" I questioned.

"Yes?"

"Could you, oh, I don't know, get away?"

He jumped away and let go of my hand. He was across the room at a breakneck speed. "Sorry," he said nervously.

I waved away his apology then sat up. I was in the living room on the Cullen's nice couch, Jake licking my hand and whining softly. "So what happened exactly?" I asked. I couldn't really remember what had happened. The only thing that wasn't fuzzy was Seth's warm hold on me.

"You fainted, Maya," Carlisle said after sitting down next to me. I hadn't realized anyone else was in the room. "I'm not sure what caused it, though. Is this the first time this has happened?" I knew that Carlisle was a doctor, and trying to make up a medical excuse would be too hard for me to do. The last thing I wanted to do was get caught in a fib.

I thought about lying but quickly decided against it. I tried to avoid it at all cost. "Seth, do you think you can take me home now?" I avoided Carlisle's piercing gaze and looked around for my purse. Seth came over with it on his arm. For the second time that night Seth offered me his hand, but this time he pulled me up slowly and gingerly.

"Yeah, sure."

I could tell Carlisle wasn't happy with this, but he was nice enough not to say anything. "It was great having you over," he said. "Everyone else sends their goodbyes too." I was about to turn away when Carlisle's face turned stone cold serious. "If you have any trouble, Maya, let me know right away."

I nodded then turned away, my face burning profusely at the thought of him finding out my so far well hidden secret.

I realized then that Edward, or anyone else for that matter, wasn't in the room, and I wondered if he and Seth had ever been talking at all.

I told Jake to come and Seth and I walked out the door. He tried to be subtle, but I noticed how he stayed really close to me as to make sure I wouldn't fall or anything. We said our goodbyes to Carlisle then walked out to the truck.

The sky was dark and cloudy, and it felt like the kind of night where no one slept. Seth opened my door for me and waited until I was safely in and buckled up before shutting the door. Jake settled in the back seat and Seth got in the front.

"Well.." I muttered when we got out on the road. "That was completely humiliating."

Seth chuckled, but that undertone of worry was still there. "Eh, don't worry about it. They've seen worse."

I nodded but didn't add anything. I could tell Seth wasn't finished talking.

"So…the fainting…" he started. "Does that happen a lot?"

I almost snapped at him, but I quickly stopped myself. It wasn't Seth's fault I was tired or that I felt dizzy. He didn't deserve to be yelled at. "Not all the time. It was probably just all that painting I did today."

"Yeah," Seth muttered. "All that painting." He didn't sound convinced, but he changed the subject anyway. We were laughing by the time we got to the hotel.

"Thanks for taking me to meet them," I told Seth when we reached the door. He had insisted on walking me, and I knew it had a little something to do with making sure I didn't faint in the hallway or anything. But the look on his face kind of made me feel like he didn't want to let me go. I quickly reminded myself my head was still swimmy and that I didn't know what I was talking about.

"No problem," he answered. "They really enjoyed seeing you." He scratched uncomfortably at his chest then leaned against the wall.

I watched him carefully and had a hard time remembering what I was supposed to be doing. His sinewy arms crossed over his defined chest, and his sparkling eyes seemed to get deeper by the second.

"What plans have you got Saturday?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "Are you kidding? I'm a teenager living in the middle of nowhere. Of course I don't have plans."

Seth laughed, and it sounded really nice in the quiet of the hallway of the hotel. "I was wondering if you wanted to start our piano lessons Saturday."

"Oh…you were serious about that? I thought you were just playing."

Seth shook his head and gave me a very serious look. "If I say I'll do something, I mean it."

"Well…then sure! Let's start our lessons." I felt like a giddy teenager again, something I hadn't felt in a long time. I knew that with someone as patient and gentle as Seth by my side I'd have a better chance of actually learning to play.

"Great!" he said with more enthusiasm than I could even imagine having. He stepped as if he was going to hug me then pretended he had simply been looking at something over my shoulder. "We'll be over tomorrow to finish the porch and help you move everything in. Tonight will be the last night at the hotel, I reckon."

I gave a sigh of relief. "Good. Stacey is a great person, but I think a little time apart will do us some good. And by us I mean me." Stacey was constantly trying to convince me to go out with Seth, and I didn't know how to get her to stop without sounding too mean. I gave a small laugh then dug for my key. It was time to say goodnight.

"Thanks for the great night," Seth said sincerely.

I shook my head. "No, thank _you_."

"Goodnight."

' "Goodnight."

He gave me one last look before turning and walking down the hallway. When I stepped in the door I couldn't explain the insane amount of butterflies flopping around in my stomach. I just knew they shouldn't have been there.

Seth Point of View

When I got home I knew I needed to talk to someone. Mom was working late and I didn't really feel like talking to the guys at the moment, so there was only one choice. I settled on the couch then whipped out my cell phone and dialed the number I knew by heart. It rang a few times then a voice I recognized very well answered.

"Hey, jerk." Leah.

"Hey, brat."

"How's it going out on the res?" she questioned.

"Eh, same same. Quil's still babysitting, Embry's still in love with himself, and Collin and Brady are…well, Collin and Brady."

Leah snorted and I could almost hear her rolling her eyes. "And you, baby brother?" she asked. "How's the life of an imprinter treating you?"

Not knowing how to begin, I stayed silent and waited for her to jump in. Leah got the picture.

"Ah, I see. You called for some advice. Wise choice, considering my amazing track record with love."

There was nothing like a huge helping of sarcasm to make a guy feel better. "Actually, it's more of a girl problem than a love problem." _I think…_

"Seth," Leah said seriously. "Did you start your period? Do you need one of those books Mom gave me? Because-"

"Leah!" I interrupted. "Could you, I don't know, be a serious person for once?" I tried to sound serious myself, but I couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Yeah, right after pigs fly and you are able to be considered attractive by a girl." My sister had always been one for boosting other people's confidence. "All right, what's the dealio?"

"Maya's amazing, Leah. She's the most beautiful girl, _woman_, I've ever seen, and her independence is just astounding. Her laugh is like-"

"Besides the fact that I'm about to barf, I'm not hearing a problem here."

_Oh, right. Problem. _"She's hiding something, something big. She moved out here all by herself, she doesn't talk to her family, she doesn't say anything personal about herself, and she fainted today and is acting like…I don't know. She acts like she's got a huge problem, Leah. And I want her to tell me so I can fix it. I can't bear to think something's wrong with her. If something's wrong with her, something's wrong with me. But she's not comfortable enough with me to tell me yet. What should I do? Should I just ask her what's going on or pretend like nothing has happened?" The words came out so fast and jumbled I wasn't sure what I was saying. It was a mix of everything I had been thinking, and it felt weird on my tongue.

"Seth, Seth, Seth," Leah sighed. "Your poor, imprint-melted mind has been all messed up with this soul mate junk. Look, if Maya went to such great lengths to hide her secret, she has a good reason for it." There was a pause as she thought. "But that's not going to stop you from trying to find out what it is, is it?"

I didn't have to think about this one. "If there's something wrong, I'm going to do everything in my power to help her."

"Eh, you and your boy brain." She paused, and I could tell she was thinking. "Is there any way you and her can spend time alone? Without the Cullens, without the pack- just you and her."

"I'm giving her a piano lesson on Saturday…but-"

"Seth! It's perfect!"

"I don't understand. I'm just teaching her to play."

"Don't you remember Beauty and the Beast?" she asked me.

_Wow. What a fitting title. _"I was into Power Rangers, Leah. Not Disney Princesses."

She ignored that comment and went on with whatever point she was trying to get across. "Belle wasn't exactly looking to fall in love either, was she?" She didn't even wait for me to tell her I didn't know. "No, she wasn't. But after she and the Beast started to spend time together, she realized how much they had in common and eventually they fell in love. When you guys are playing the piano, talk to her. Do that whole 'I'm Seth and I'm super sensitive' thing. Girls love that junk."

"You sound like Embry."

"Don't compare me to him," she growled.

I laughed and a yawn escaped. "I'll take your advice, Leah. I appreciate it. I'll try to talk to her."

"Okay. And don't lose hope just because she doesn't respond right away. It takes time. Hey, tell Mom I'm coming home for a visit soon."

"Will do."

"Bye, Jerk."

"Bye, Brat."

I flipped the phone shut and headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water. My heart skipped a beat when I thought of the way her mouth curved up when she smiled and the light in her eyes when we had talked about piano lessons. She was everything to me, the reason I was on the Earth, and it hurt me beyond belief to think something was wrong with her. I knew she wouldn't tell me right away what was going on, but Maya had dropped a little bit of her guard since I had met her, and I was willing to wait as long as it took to be able to help her.

I leaned against the counter and a picture on the fridge caught my eye. It was my favorite one of my dad and me. It had been taken on one of our many fishing trips when I was around fifteen, right before he had passed, and I had never seen him look happier. His worn, tan face was being controlled by a huge ear to ear grin, and he had his arm wrapped around me proudly as I held up a huge fish.

I sighed and let the loss I felt when I thought of him take a hold on me for a moment. I usually didn't dwell on the negative too much, but I really did miss him. I'd never admit it to anyone, though. It did no good to stay locked up in the past. I guess we've all got our demons.

Maya POV

"Are you _positive _you want to move into the house?" Stacey looked at me wide eyed from the hotel bed.

I smiled and nodded my head. "I can't stay here forever, Stacey." I continued folding the last bit of my wardrobe and putting it in my suitcase. "The guys fixed the house up all nice for me. I need time to work on my writing."

She huffed and folded a pair of my pants and put them in my bag. "This is unfair. Not cool. Unfortunate. You do realize I'll be over everyday, right?"

I laughed and gave her a look that consisted of raised eyebrows. "Stacey. You spend all your free time with Embry."

"That's true. But now that you're with Seth, we can totally double date."

I rolled my eyes but didn't even begin to correct her. There was no winning when it came to arguing with her. It was a pointless as arguing with a brick wall.

"I'm really going to miss you," she said after I zipped up my suitcase and began lugging it towards the door. It was the last thing I had to take out to my car to take over to the house.

I sighed and turned towards Stacey to see her sitting on my bed teary eyed.

"Stacey," I said. I tried to sound comforting but I was sure it came out more annoyed than anything. This guilt trip was not going to work. "I won't be that far away."

"But you're my only friend!"

I cringed when I heard the word. "Lies. You're on the phone everyday with someone new."

"But. . . Ugh. Fine. But don't think you've heard the last from me. I'll be knocking on that door soon enough."

I rolled my eyes but put my arms around her when she pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. "Thanks for everything," I told her.

"No problem. Let me help you out with your bag."

We walked outside into the rainy morning and finished up with the loading and our goodbyes. I felt kind of bad about the whole situation. If I had it my way this would be the last time I say Stacey. It would be too hard otherwise. But I took comfort knowing she had a lot of people and things to help her forget about me. No, Stacey would be the last of my worries when it came to these goodbyes. I had much bigger fish to fry in that category.

It was one of those shouldn't-seem-nice-but-was kind of days. The sky was a light grey and successfully replaced the sun with small drops of rain that had been falling inconsistently throughout the morning. I couldn't help but thinking how pretty the wetness made all of the leaves and how nice the cool weather felt. A few months ago I would've said I hated the rain had anyone asked, but now? Now I took what I could get and tried to find the beauty in it. It had taught me that there was, in fact, beauty in everything, and that the most beautiful things were those no one had time for.

The day drug on slowly but I didn't mind. I used a good portion of the gray morning and even greyer afternoon to unpack and get my things situated. It was kind of unsettling when I looked at the stuff I had, or, in better words, the _lack_ of stuff I had. There were only a few things that weren't bare necessities such as a portion of my CD collection and my favorite coffee cup. I knew life wasn't about things, but I missed my multiple picture albums and the stuffed dog I always kept on my bed. The things that held memories. The things that could comfort me when nothing else could. But now I didn't have those things. I'd have to find a new source of comfort.

The loud knocking on my door that evening made me jump almost to the ceiling. Hand over my erratic heart, I went to the door, already knowing who would be standing on the other side.

"Howdy," Seth said with his usual over-sized grin.

I ignored the huge smile that appeared on my face and stepped aside so he could come in. "What brought you by?" I asked.

Seth made his way into the living room and plopped down on the sofa. He made it look extremely tiny and insufficient. He could've taken up a lot more space than he did, but he had scrunched himself in the corner to give me the personal space I always inwardly demanded for. I made a mental note to somehow repay him for the respect he always showed me.

"Well…" he hesitated then gestured around. "You got everything situated, I see. It looks nice. Is there more to be brought in? Pictures and knick knacks and stuff like that?" he questioned.

I turned my head away and looked at the bare walls. I wished I had other things. "No," I answered quietly. "This is it."

I knew my answer had surprised Seth and probably made him feel a bit uncomfortable as well. He moved away from the subject seamlessly as if he had never brought it up in the first place. "That's not why I came over here, anyway." I knew he had been stalling something. "I actually wanted to invite you to a bonfire tonight. It's kind of a tradition the guys and I have." He looked at the wall, the floor, his hands, then finally at my face. I must've looked weary because he added. "I mean, you don't have to go. It's just that we have this whole thing where we tell the tribal stories and-"

"Wait, wait, wait," I said. "The stories?" I could remember faintly the old stories my grandpa had told me so many moons ago, but I couldn't remember them well enough. I had wanted to hear them again for a long time but had never gotten the chance to. It would probably be really inspirational for my writing… "Sure, I'll go," I told him. It wasn't to spend time with Seth and the guys so surely it'd be okay. If I was going to be spending the next few months cooped up alone with nothing but my writing I was going to need some new ideas.

Seth looked taken back by how easy it was to get me to agree. He finally grinned and clapped his massive hands together one time. "Okay! Well, we can leave whenever you want."

I looked down at my oversized t-shirt and sweatpants combo and ran a hand through my ponytail. "Umm…I'll have to take a shower first if that's okay," I said.

Seth shrugged his shoulders and pushed himself deeper into the sofa. He put his hands behind his head and propped his feet up on my coffee table, completely at ease. "You just take your sweet time," he said before closing his eyes.

I stood there and stared at him for a moment, taking in the sight and locking the picture away in a box in the back of my head. It was entirely impossible to feel uncomfortable around this guy. He just looked so insanely happy all of the time! When I was around him, it was hard to feel sorry for myself or think of all the things that were going wrong. Things were…okay again. And I felt so…so _good_ when he was in my presence that I wondered why I didn't move out here and meet this guy earlier. If I had just come here a few summers ago or explored the town a little deeper when I had been here with my grandpa, maybe Seth would've been able to be part of my life for a longer time. Maybe he and I would've had the chance to…

I quickly cut myself off. Thinking like that was definitely off limits. I had already broken multiple rules I had set for myself by letting Seth and the guys become my friends. I couldn't even consider the possibility of letting it go further than that.

One of Seth's eyelids popped open to reveal a sparkling brown eye. He smirked and gestured over his head. "The bathroom's that-a-way, kid," he joked.

Trying to hide any evidence on my face that might've given my thoughts away, I made my way into the bathroom after sticking my tongue out at him. "I'm not a kid!" I yelled before shutting the door.

"Whatever," he said. I could still hear his laughter even after I had jumped in the shower.


	9. On the Edge

This isn't as good as it could and should be, but I'm leaving for a 12 day trip soon and won't be able to update for a while. Please keep my group in your prayers as we travel to Ecuador. I'm sure I'll get tons of story ideas from there! If I'm correct, I will be updating maybe weekly once I return from my trip. School is out and my hands are itching to write. I know what's going to happen in this story, but it's going to take a while to get to the end. I will try and make the chapters a lot better. I am in such a rush to get this out that I didn't even send it to my beta (sorry about that!). As I said, it isn't at its best, but you can all just pretend :p

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! I will definitely work on getting better at replying to those. It really does make me beyond happy to know someone out there in the world reads what I create and enjoys it. What a feeling.

Song: She Will Be Loved- Marron 5 (this will be a reoccuring song, most likely.)

* * *

"Heads up!"

I jumped up and tried to catch the football between my hands. It was going too fast, and I knew I should've put my hands down but didn't. Instead, I braced myself for a surely jammed finger and let my eyes close halfway.

"Oof," Seth jumped in front of me and grabbed the ball with one hand right before it made contact. I tripped over his legs and fell to the sand, laughing.

"Are you okay?" Seth asked after spiraling the ball back to Embry. Concern coated his voice, but the faintest smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He sat down cross legged in the sand as I sat up and shook out my hair. I looked away from his bare chest and tried to regain my focus.

"I could've gotten that," I muttered even though I knew it wasn't true.

Seth laughed and bumped my shoulder with his. "Yeah, I'm sure you could have." The sarcasm was hard to miss. "I just wanted to steal your thunder; you know how I am. I can't stand for anyone else to have the glory."

I rolled my eyes at him and put a hand on my forehead. I knew I shouldn't have ran so much. My head was throbbing angrily, but I didn't regret participating in the football game. I hadn't had that much fun in a while.

"I think it's about time to head over to the fire," Seth said. I didn't miss how he glanced at me then pretended to look at the setting sun before saying this. I was thankful he wasn't going to let me be the reason the game had to stop.

He stood up quickly then offered both of his hands to me. I placed mine in his, something that seemed so easy to do now, and let him easily pull me to my feet. I felt my head start to swim, but I clamped my teeth together and ignored it. I refused to let it get in the way of tonight.

"Good game, Anderson," Embry said as he rushed past me. "I think we'll take you on our team instead of Seth next time." He gave Seth a mischievous grin and dodged the hand that came flying at the back of his head.

I couldn't help but smile at the two of them. The more time I spent with the guys, the more I saw of that insanely tight bond they shared. They reminded me a lot of the friends I had left back home, though their relationship was definitely much stronger. There was a strong ache deep in my chest as I thought of my friends, only one of the many things I had left behind.

"_Skkksssskkkss." _I looked up to see Seth making a hissing sound into his hand that was cupped near his shoulder. His voice became muffled and deeper, and it took me only a second for me to realize he was trying to sound like he was coming over a walkie-talkie. "This is T-DOSH. Why the long face, LR?"

I wrinkled my nose in confusion, but I couldn't help but grin. The ache in my chest lessened as I shook my head and gave him a snort. "What does T-DOSH stand for?" I questioned. It was an easy way to avoid his question. I knew I couldn't tell him the real reason I was upset, but lying to him wasn't an option either.

Seth looked at me from the corner of his eye with a boyish smirk. "Tall, dark, and oh so handsome." He wiggled his eyebrows up and down and gave me a wink.

"Ha, _HA!_" I doubled over in laughter and held my gut and worked on getting my breath back. I knew in any other situation with any other guy it wouldn't have been as funny, but Seth's facial expressions were too good. He crossed his arms over his chest and feigned hurt as I tried to sober up.

"I really don't see what's so funny about that," he grumbled under his breath.

I put a hand on his shoulder as I got back my breath. "You got the tall and dark part right," I told him with the most serious face I could muster. "It's just the 'oh so handsome' part I have a problem with." The look of shock on his face brought on another round of laughter, and it was a while before I could straighten up enough for us to begin walking on over to the fire.

Seth raised his eyebrows at me and put his hands on his hips. "You do know you have to pay a price for being so mean to me, right?" I gave him a quizzical look, but didn't get the chance to say anything. Before I could react, Seth had dove for me and had me draped across his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Put me down!" I laughed while beating on his bare back. It was awfully hard to ignore the fact that I could see every muscle working. I stupidly wondered if he could feel my heart beating through my chest.

"Nu-uh." Holding me securely but surprisingly gently, he walked us over to the fire while I kicked and squealed.

"You're terrible," I growled when he put me down. He shrugged his shoulders and ruffled my hair with his large hand.

"You'll get used to it."

I stuck my tongue out at him then turned towards the group of people gathered around the flames. The only ones I knew were the guys, and there were a lot of people I hadn't met yet.

Seth started to introduce me, but I nudged him gently so it wouldn't be noticed. "I'm Maya," I told everyone. I didn't want to be seen as the girl who needed another person to introduce them. I could do it myself. "I'm Seth's-" I stopped abruptly. I had come to terms with the fact that Seth and I were friends, but part of me didn't want to say it. It felt sort of like failure. I had come here to get away from everyone, and look what I was doing.

I looked up at Seth who was rocking back and forth on his heels, humming to himself. And all of my worries disappeared.

"I'm Seth's friend," I said proudly and confidently. "I just moved here, into my grandpa's old house. It's really nice to meet you."

A woman with long black hair and dark eyes stood up first. She was beautiful, despite the large scar on her face that pulled down half of her mouth.

"I'm Emily. It's so nice to finally meet you," she said. She was absolutely beaming. The way she looked at me made it seem as if I had been the topic of many conversations, and this moment was something great. I couldn't help but give her a puzzled look, but then Seth's throat cleared behind me and she quickly composed herself. She reached a hand out behind her which was taken by a man who stood up beside her. "This is my husband, Sam."

I was very unsurprised to see that he was tall and shirtless, with dark hair and eyes. He nodded his head at me then wrapped his arms around Emily.

I went around the circle of people and was instantly calmed. Everyone was so unbelievably nice and warm, and it was very evident that it wasn't an act. This was how they all genuinely were. It pleased me that I wasn't treated as an outsider. I was teased and prodded at just as everyone else was. Once I had made the round, Seth and I headed over to a spot to sit down.

"I knew they'd like you," he said quietly to me.

"Who said they wouldn't?"

He snorted and leaned in close to my ear. I could feel his warm breath on my face as he said, "I know you'll hate it, but I'm getting better at reading you."

I turned on my heals so I was facing him and was very surprised by how close we were. Our chests were mere inches from touching, and I could feel the heat radiating off of him.

"You know nothing about me, Clearwater," I murmured. "And that's the way it's going to be."

I spun around and looked for a place to sit before he could say anything. All of the old logs were taken, so I sat cross legged on the sand and patted the place next to me. Seth sat down and looked at the fire with a glazed look in his eyes. He seemed to be checked out, so I took full advantage of the opportunity and studied him.

His lips were in a straight line, but the slightest hint of a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. This was an almost constant thing. His eyes were distant, somewhere else, but whatever he was thinking about was obviously something happy. Though his eyes were glossy, they held a light twinkling that suggested something very nice. I noticed how, though he wasn't facing me but the fire instead, his body was turned towards me. One had was in his lap, but the other was buried in the sand dangerously close to me. How easy it would be for me to reach out and grab it and never let go…

"Maya?" a voice said from behind me. I turned, my face going pink at the thought of anyone finding out what I had been thinking, and saw a woman absolutely beaming at me.

She wasn't as young as Emily. She seemed to be about as old as my mom. She had the normal tan skin and dark features, and her hair was held up in a ponytail. I knew there was something familiar about the way her eyes danced, about the way she held herself, but I couldn't quite figure it-

"Mom!" Seth said cheerfully. He hastily stood up and practically bounced over to her. He threw his ridiculously long arms around her and crushed her to his chest. He gave her a big hug, picking her up a bit in the process, then set her feet firmly back down on the ground and released her.

Of course. She was Seth's mom. Seeing them stand next to each other, I wondered why I hadn't realized it right off the bat. I stood up and went over to her, holding out my hand. She ignored it and pulled me into a hug.

"It's so good to meet you," she half said, half squealed into my ear. "Seth talks about you non-stop."

"Mom," he groaned. He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged his shoulders awkwardly when I gave him a questioning look. Why did it seem like Seth talked about me as if I was some famous person or something?

"It's good to meet you too," I replied.

After a brief, nonchalant conversation with Seth's mom, who I learned was actually Sue Clearwater, Seth and I took back our places on the sand.

"Sorry about her," he muttered, but the way he shook his head seemed like she had reacted exactly the way he had expected and he was glad for it.

"How come they all know me?" I asked.

Seth rubbed his forehead as if he was going to make up some really complicated excuse, then spotted something and grinned.

"Looks like it's time for some grub." He gestured over to Emily who was carrying a cardboard box loaded down with food. Sam was behind her, carrying a huge cooler as if it weighed the same as a housecat.

My stomach growled, and I realized just how hungry I was.

"Are you ready for the best meal of your life?" Seth asked.

"Best meal of my life?" I questioned. "I think you're exaggerating a bit."

"That was the best. Meal. Ever!" I exclaimed. I balled my napkin up and shot it into the fire. I don't know what it was, but there was something amazing about the hot dogs we had stuck on sticks and cooked over the fire and the bags of chips we had devoured. I don't think it was actually the food that was so good, but the company. There was never a dull moment with these guys. Whether it was arguing over which super hero was better or comparing muscles, something amusing was always happening.

Seth smirked and shrugged his massive shoulders. "What can I say? That's just how we do it out here in ole' La Push."

I rolled my eyes at him then covered my mouth after yawning. I was exhausted, which I had expected, and they hadn't even gotten around to the stories yet. I wondered if I was going to be able to stay awake.

"You haven't even had the best part yet," Seth said. He grabbed my stick from my hand and shoved a marshmallow on the end of it.

"Oh, I can do it." I reached for it, but Seth held it above his head where I couldn't grab it.

"No, no, no," he said.

I dove for it, but Seth put a hand on my forehead and pushed me back. I reached up, stretching as far as I could without standing up. Seth chuckled at my effort, then quickly shoved the stick in the fire.

"Too late," he told me.

I punched his shoulder playfully and watched as he worked on whatever he was trying to accomplish. He leaned in towards the fire, his eyes on the marshmallow and his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth in concentration. "I'm a pro at this," he whispered. He kept the stick constantly turning, trying to distribute the heat evenly. The marshmallow hovered just above the flames, and it seemed as if this was an awfully intense approach to take just to roast it.

"Trying to make the perfect marshmallow for your gal, Sethie?" Embry teased from the other end of the fire. Seth looked up and let go of the stick with one hand to pick up a stone and chuck it at Embry. The movement shook the stick, and his masterpiece fell into the flames.

"No!" he shouted. For a moment I thought he was going to dive into the flames, but he sat back and turned towards me. "Well, so much for that."

I couldn't help but laugh at how disappointed he sounded, I just shook my head. "No worries, Seth. I appreciate your effort." I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gave him half a hug. I felt his whole body tense under my arm, and when I looked up at him his eyes were wide as dinner plates.

"Y-you're welcome," he stuttered, and he hugged me back.

It was hard to ignore my erratically beating heart.

It was dark by the time the stories actually began being told. It had gotten chilly, and I had forgotten my jacket at the house. Since I was unusually cold most of the time anyway, this was torture. My teeth were actually beginning to chatter, and it made me feel absolutely ridiculous. All of the guys still had their shirts off and weren't showing any signs of discomfort. Emily was huddled next to Sam, and she seemed to be completely content.

I could feel the heat radiating off Seth's tan skin from where he was sitting next to me. I wanted him to put his arms around me, but I knew it wasn't just because I was cold. But what was I supposed to do? "Seth, put your arms around me please to satisfy this teenage wanting feeling inside of me and to keep me warm" would've been very awkward. Besides, I didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea.

Especially me.

"A little cold, there, LR?"

"Of course not," I answered, but my shivers were very obvious.

Without saying a word and while keeping his eyes on the fire, Seth pulled me into his side. His right arm rubbed mine quickly, and the friction warmed up my skin. "Better?" he asked.

I could feel myself freeze, my heart start racing, but I tried my best not to show my discomfort. As much as it frightened me, I welcomed this touch from him. There was something about the way he put his arm around me, confidently and protectively, that was insanely comforting. I felt myself relax a bit, and my body felt a million times less tense than it had in the past week.

"Yes, thank you," I whispered.

I didn't miss the way Embry wiggled his eyes at Seth from across the fire. I bit my lip to hide the giggles that bubbled up.

"_Wow_," I muttered. It was the only word I could think of. My hand was beginning to cramp from writing so much so quickly, but I couldn't find it in me to care. My notebook now had a few more filled pages after listening to some of the tribe stories. Wolves and love at first sight- not to mention the cold ones. This was gold. This was amazing.

"So these are passed down every generation?" I asked. I wasn't even just inquiring for stories- I was insanely interested. I leaned back and shifted around in the sand to try and get more comfortable. I had had to move around a bit so I could write and was now leaning back against Seth's knees. Even this kept me warm.

Billy Black, Jacob's dad, nodded at me from his chair. "I've heard these since I was a boy. It's important for them to stay with the members of the tribe- it's our history. It tells everything you need to know."

"Hmm…" I was thoughtfully quiet for a moment before looking back up at him. "Can I hear more?"

I could practically hear Seth's goofy smile behind me. It really amused him that I was so interested. It wasn't a funny amusement, though. More like a surprised sort of amusement. I pinched his ankle then listened closely as Billy began to talk again.

"There is one that I'm particularly fond of that doesn't get told very often. It isn't something that's… not important, really. But I always enjoyed it."

My pen hovered over my paper, and I felt my eyes widen in concentration. Billy's voice was smooth and deep, painting a vivid picture in my head.

"There once was a tribe member who had a very sick imprint. She was his wife, and they had been married for about five years. They had just had their first child, and she was very bad off from everything. Her body had taken the child birthing hard. She was giving her last breaths, his wolf senses were picking up on that. He kneeled next to her, and in his time of severe grief, he began crying over her. When someone loses their imprint, it's like losing themselves." He took a moment to look around the fire, and I watched as Sam pulled Emily closer to him, kissing the top of her head. The look of love his face held was almost intense enough to stop you in your tracks. Billy smiled, then continued. "Except worse. He was so distraught that he cried all night without ceasing. Eventually his wife fell asleep, and when she woke up she was completely better."

I felt the surprise color my face.

"It's said that, in the most desperate of situations, the tears of the wolf can cure just about anything." Billy cleared his throat, and I felt the picture begin to melt away. His facial expression changed to one of laughter. "Of course, this particular story is, just that. A story."

I felt my eyebrows crinkle. Of course it was just a story. They all were.

I capped my pen and covered my mouth when a yawn escaped.

"I think it's about time we get home," Sue said. She herself had a very tired look on her face.

There were murmurs of agreement from around the fire, and I could feel Seth shifting behind me. "Are you ready to hit it?" he asked. His voice was low, thoughtful. I turned and rested my elbow up on his knee, propping my head against my hand. I studied his deep eyes and watched as the flames of the fire danced in them.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked. For a moment I forgot that everyone else around, and I didn't care that they could all hear me.

"Imprinting," he answered. His face was so open, so honest. I knew he was being truthful.

"Wish it was real?" I asked. "The whole love at first sight thing? I think it'd be rather cool, really. To just _know_ that someone is who you want. It'd be great."

Something I said must've made him happy, because a huge smile came across his face. "Yeah," he said quietly. "I think great might be a bit of an understatement."

"Glad you came, huh?" Seth asked. We were sitting on the bed of his truck, trying to find the stars that were hidden beneath the grey mass of clouds in the sky.

"Actually, yes."

"You didn't think you'd like it?" he asked.

I hated the way he could read into my words.

But I loved it even more.

"I…well, you know. I'm just not very good around people. But the whole gang is so amazing! I enjoy everyone."

"Even me?"

I laughed and nudged him with my elbow. "Especially you."

It was quiet for a moment, but there wasn't a hint of awkwardness to be found. It was thoughtful. It was peaceful. It was something I'd like to experience with Seth Clearwater as much as I could.

"Are we still on for tomorrow?" I asked suddenly. I had forgotten about our piano lessons, and I was surprised that was me, not Seth, who had remembered and brought it up.

"Of course!" he responded. "I'd never leave you hanging." I felt the truck shake a bit as he leaped to his feet and stood up on the side. I watched as he held his arms out at his side, his chest stuck out and his large feet hanging dangerous over the edge. "Why, I'd jump before I did that." He acted as if he was going to propel himself forward, so I jumped up and wrapped my arms around his middle.

"Don't do it!" I screamed. My lips had given in to a huge grin, but I tried to make my voice sound as scared as possible. "Think about me! Think about your family!"

"You don't need me. I'm nothing but a bother." He teetered forward, and I held tighter.

"I'll give you what you want!" I said loudly, my voice desperate.

He turned and looked down on me. "You will?" he asked. "You'll give me a…" He looked around, his face holding a mock cautious look. "a hug?"

I sighed and threw a hand to my forehead. "Oh, if I must. But you have to walk me to my door, Mr. Clearwater. If I can't get that then it's no use to save you."

I let go of him and grabbed on to his hand, pulling him down from the side of the truck. He grinned and shook his head at me.

"Nice job, Maya. Nice job. Though I don't think acting is in your future."

I punched his arm then let him help me out of the truck and walk me to my door.

"You'll be here tomorrow?" I asked once more. I wanted to be sure.

Seth nodded. "Of course. Around noon, I guess."

"Okay."

I stared at him for a moment. At his strong features. At his honest face. At his eyes, so open and wide and curious, that showed almost everything about him. I wondered why, exactly, he enjoyed spending so much time with me. It confused me, but I wasn't about to question it.

Forgetting all about the boundaries that had, somewhere along the line, been thrown out the window, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him tightly. Seth did the same, and the way he held me made me feel like I hadn't in months and months. It made me feel comforted. It made me feel cared for. And, surprisingly enough, it made me feel like everything was going to be okay.

I didn't want him to let go, and that should've sent up the flags and turned on the sirens.

But I didn't care.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he murmured into my hair.

"Tomorrow."

He was the one who had to step back and let go. He watched as I slipped my key into the lock and let myself inside.

"Lock your door," he told me. "Sweet dreams."

I bit my lip to keep from smiling like an idiot and just waved at him before shutting the door.

I could still feel his warmth on my skin when I crawled under the covers. I didn't know what I was doing, but I knew it would end badly.

And for once, I wasn't going to let that stop me.

* * *

Seth's getting close, huh! Do you feel that they are moving too quickly? Maya has been very determined to keep him out, but I feel that at this point she just can't help but to let him in. He's just someone who gets to her, plus she's here in this place by herself. Not to mention Seth is completely amazing :) Let me know what you think. Things won't always progress this quickly. She has her reasons for keeping him at such a distance, and she will continue to struggle with this.


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